A GREEN campaign will see a council target 24,000 households in a major recycling scheme.

People living in the Wear Valley District Council area will be able to take advantage of a door-to-door newspaper and magazine collection scheme from next month.

It is part of the council's effort to achieve Government targets on recycling and improve its services.

Councillor John Lethbridge, chairman of the council's community services committee, said: "Twenty-three per cent of our domestic waste consists of paper which is tipped into a landfill site.

"After tipping, the paper decomposes and produces methane gas, which is the most common 'greenhouse' gas.

"We must encourage recycling, and a weekly door-to-door recycling of waste paper would be a good start."

The council already has several sites where people can take their waste, including ones in Bishop Auckland and Crook.

Its weekly door-to-door collection service will start next Thursday, October 4.

Roger Ward, contract inspector for the council, said: "We aren't going up the dale as yet. We will be trying to get some more 'bring' sites there, but for the moment we are concentrating on the larger areas and working out where we go from there.''

John Foreman Recycling, of Spennymoor, will be collecting the refuse, but will not be charging the council. Instead it will keep the material collected.

Mr Ward said that readers of The Northern Echo would reap the benefit of the scheme.

The paper mill where the collections are sent recycles the material and provides processed newsprint for the newspaper.

People in Tow Law have asked the council not to make collections there because the town football club raises funds through its own scheme.

People are asked to leave their used newspapers and magazines in carrier bags outside their doors before 9am for collection.

On Thursdays, the service covers Auckland Park, Binchester, Bishop Auckland, Close House, Coundon, Coronation, Coundon Gate, Eldon, Etherley Lane, Helmington Row, Hunwick, Leeholme, Newfield, Oakenshaw, South Church, Henknowle, Sunnybrow, Willington.

Every Friday the route is Billy Row, Crook, Etherley Grange, Etherley Moor, Howden-le-Wear, Roddymoor, Stanley, St Helen Auckland, Sunniside, Thornley, Tindale Crescent, West Auckland.