HIGH-STEPPING can-can dancers are to kick off a month-long recycling campaign on Saturday.

Four dancers from Houghton Dance and Performing Arts Academy will be in the market Place, Durham City, from 10.30am to launch the campaign, which encourages people to recycle cans, empty aerosols and biscuit tins.

The campaign, launched by County Durham Waste Awareness Partnership, aims to improve on the 944 tonnes of cans which were recycled in County Durham last year.

Councillor Alan Cox, Durham County Council's cabinet member for waste management, said: "Recycling a can requires only five per cent of the energy it takes to make a new one and produces only five per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions.

"Just one recycled can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours. We're focusing on cans because it's an easy way to get people recycling."