A waste collection scheme has helped divert hundreds of tonnes of rubbish from landfill in the past week.

City of York Council introduced alternate weekly collections for garden waste and household rubbish two weeks ago.

Recycling boxes and bags are collected on the same week as the new green bins.

More than 336 tons of green waste was collected for composting during the past week, with 68 per cent of households using their new green bins.

Recycling rates for glass, cans and paper have also shot up since the start of the garden waste collections, increasing from 144 tons in the same week in 2004 to 160 tons last week.

Kristy Walton, head of the council's waste strategy, said: "We've been really encouraged by how well residents have co-operated with the new arrangements.

"We know that it will take a while for everyone to get used to the fortnightly system and recognise that there have been some teething problems.

"However, the results from the first week are really encouraging and show that we can make a real difference."

The percentage of households using the recycling box also increased in the past week and the average weight of recyclable goods collected per house rose from 4.78kg to 5.89kg.

Some residents say the new fortnightly collections have left them with too much household waste to fit into their bins and they are having to take it to the tip.

Duncan Paxman, from Fulford, said he tried to take a rubbish bag to the Foss Island tip on Sunday, but could not get anywhere near the site because of a huge queue of traffic.

"The queue was well up the road and it would have taken us a long time to even get to the tip," he said.