DARLINGTON Borough Council is hoping to increase the percentage of domestic rubbish it recycles.

Officers have been developing a scheme which enables the council to meet Government targets for increasing recycling of domestic waste and reducing landfill.

A bid for £536,000 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been successful and will go towards providing collection vehicles and recycling containers, and fund the post of a waste minimisation officer.

Officers are in the process of selecting tenders for the recycling contract, which will run for five years.

Residents will be given reusable plastic containers for the recycling materials, which will be collected every fortnight.

A customer help line will also be set up.

The proposals will be discussed by the council's public protection forum tomorrow.