AN eco-friendly council is aiming to boost its household waste recycling levels by half with a new initiative.

Last year, Hambleton District Council recycled 44 per cent of all household waste it collected.

But the council wants to boost that figure by 50 per cent by 2010 and to achieve this is to launch a kerbside collection scheme.

The scheme will cover 96 per cent of the district - or 38,000 homes - when it is introduced on November 19 and could be expanded further.

Councillor Bob Baker, cabinet member for waste management, said: "Increasing our ability to recycle is a top priority for the council - and one which we know from research residents also want.

"Residents have already embraced the concept of recycling through our alternate weekly collections and recycling centres. Now we want to make it even easier for them to do still more."

Each house will be given a blue box for cans, plastic bottles and glass and a blue bag for paper.

Residents will also be given a calendar that tells them which day they should leave their recyclable goods out for collection.

To help explain the scheme council staff will hold roadshows at 24 locations across the district.

The roadshows are at:

Great Ayton village green, 9.30am to 1.30pm, Great Broughton Village Hall, 2pm to 4pm, on Monday; Bedale market place, 9.30am to 1.30pm and West Tanfield memorial hall, 2pm to 4pm, on Tuesday; Northallerton town hall, 9.30am to 1.30pm, and Great Smeaton village green, 2pm to 4pm on Wednesday; and Hutton Rudby at 9.30am to 11.30am, Knayton village green, noon to 1.30pm and Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, 2pm to 4pm on Thursday, October 11.

They are also at Easingwold market place, 9.30am to 1.30pm and Shipton by Beningbrough, 2pm to 4pm on Friday, October 12; Thirsk market place, 9.30am to 1.30pm, and Carlton Husthwaite, 2pm to 4pm on Monday, October 15; Topcliffe, 9.30am to 11.30am, Sandhutton village green, noon to 1.30pm, and Romanby, 2pm to 4pm on Tuesday, October 16; Burneston, 9.30am to 11.30am, Thornton Watless, noon to 2pm and Scruton, 2.30pm to 4pm on Wednesday, October 17; Helperby, 9.30am to 11am, Stillington, 11.30am to 1.30pm, Tollerton, 2pm to 4pm on Thursday, October 18; and Stokesley market place, 9.30am to 1.30pm, and Osmotherley, 2pm to 4pm on Friday, October 19