RECYCLING of commercial waste by a council could be expanded, in spite of a low take-up by businesses.

Richmondshire District Council hopes to secure funding to begin collecting glass for recycling from business premises in the lower reaches of Swaledale and Wensleydale.

The authority cannot afford to buy another refuse vehicle and employ staff to expand its paper and cardboard collections, but the environment committee agreed that the council should promote the recycling collection service offered by The Good Life, a private company based at Hawes.

The committee heard on Thursday that only 100 businesses had signed up to the council's six-month pilot recycling collection service, despite all companies having been given two promotional letters and a follow-up phone call.

The low take-up surprised officers, who said that 74 per cent of companies in the Richmond area and 52 per cent in the Leyburn area had expressed an interest.

Under the scheme, recyclable waste is collected at a reduced fee, because the council receives landfill tax for sending less rubbish to tips.

The pilot scheme was launched in April after the council received £10,000 from Yorkshire Forward to buy wheelie bins and promotional material.

If funding can be secured to buy more bins, collection of glass from businesses in the Richmond, Leyburn, Middleham, Catterick and Scorton areas could be introduced, using a small bin wagon which is available one day a week. Officers chose the route because it has a high density of business premises compared with more rural areas.

The committee was told that buying and staffing a new vehicle, so that more recyclable commercial waste could be collected, would cost the council £141,000, but generate only about £7,500 in sales of paper, card and glass if 200 businesses signed up.

When income from all commercial waste contracts was considered, the council would still lose more than £18,000 a year.

Only businesses with contracts for 240-litre bins or larger can be included in the recycling collection scheme, as smaller companies are provided with orange refuse sacks instead of wheelie bins