A RECYCLING officer will have the unenviable job of raking through household rubbish at an annual council event to encourage people to recycle more.

Darlington Borough Council's recycling officer, Phillippa Scrafton, will take on the role of Dr Bin at the Recycle Now Roadshow in the Market Place on Monday, between 10am and 3pm.

As part of the council's Making Waste Work campaign, she will advise shoppers about what they throw away. The campaign aims to encourage everyone in Darlington to reduce, reuse and recycle their rubbish in a bid to cut the amount of waste sent to landfill.

There will also be energy saving tips and give-aways from Tees and Durham Energy Advice at the event.

Representatives from the Waste Resources Action Programme will talk about composting.

Darlington-based Melting Pot Arts will hold a junk music workshop and there will be a chance to find out about the council's real nappy initiative. Street Scene Man will be making an appearance to encourage people to think about their local environment.

Groundwork will be trying to sign up more volunteers as Street Champions.

Councillor Nick Wallis, Darlington council's cabinet member for sustainable environment and climate change, said: "If we make small changes to our lifestyle, we can make a real difference to the future of the planet."