A Darlington couple have become the first on the town's Firthmoor estate to take delivery of a compost bin as part of a drive to encourage recycling.

Alf and Win Crow received the bin as part of a scheme financed with £4,500 from the County Durham Environmental Trust (CDENT), under the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.

Residents on the estate can obtain the bins, which break down garden vegetable matter and other organic materials for reuse as compost, for just £1.

The scheme is part of a wider initiative on the Firthmoor estate, which will continue on Tuesday when Darlington Borough Council launches a door-to-door recycling collection service