A COUNCILLOR is calling on the Government to fund a national doorstep recycling service by 2010.

In Durham, 25,000 households already benefit from a council-funded fortnightly doorstep recycling service, which has increased the level of recycling from four per cent to 14 per cent.

Its benefits include a reduction in pressure on landfill sites and a drop in the demand for raw materials.

The scheme will be extended to the district's remaining households if a proposed local Public Service Agreement for recycling is introduced.

In another initiative, Coxhoe and Sherburn are being used for a recycling trial which has produced a recovery rate of up to 35 per cent.

More than 20 councils have visited Durham to gain first-hand knowledge of its recycling scheme, and Durham City Council was placed in the top three in the National Recycling Awards 2001 and received a Durham County Environmental Award last April.

But cabinet member for the environment, Labour councillor David Bell, is concerned that the scheme's long-term future is in doubt.

"The costs of Durham City's pioneering recycling scheme have been borne by the council itself with no additional funding - something that may be difficult to sustain long-term without future Government funding," he said.

An early-day motion on the matter is being submitted to Parliament and is supported by local MP Gerry Steinberg.