A NEW household recycling scheme in County Durham is being backed by the Prime Minister.

By the end of August, all 100,000 homes in Sedgefield, Chester-le-Street and Durham City districts should have kerb-side recycling.

The Kerb-it scheme will replace the paper collections in Sedgefield Borough, build on a pilot project in Chester-le-Street district, and take over from a successful scheme run by Durham City Council, which pioneered kerbside recycling in the region.

The average household in the UK produces one tonne of waste a year, most of which is buried at landfill.

In 2000, only ten per cent of household rubbish was recycled, a figure the Government wants increased to 25 per cent by 2006.

County Durham already throws away enough waste every year to fill Durham Cathedral 30 times. Under the new recycling scheme, residents will be given a collection box in which to store their paper, glass and cans, which is then picked up from the kerbside every fortnight.

The initiative is financed by Durham County Council, Durham City, Chester-le-Street and Sedgefield councils. Premier Waste Management will introduce the service in phases and is introducing it to the Prime Minister's Sedgefield constituency from today.

Mr Blair said: "Kerbside recycling is a fantastic scheme and I am delighted that my own constituency of Sedgefield is part of this initiative.

"The protection of the environment is high on the Government's agenda and it is this type of innovative work which will ensure targets are met.

"As well as securing a safe and sustainable environment for the future, this scheme will also bring new jobs to the area and I welcome the forward-looking approach of Premier Waste Management. I am sure the scheme will be a great success and look forward to seeing many similar projects across the country.