A WASTE management firm, which in the past three years has helped create 120 schemes to improve the region's environment, has pledged a further £1m toward the project.

The cash from Northallerton-based Yorwaste brings the funding for environmental body Yorventure to improve the North Yorkshire environment to £2.5m to date.

Since Yorventure and Yorwaste began their partnership in 1997, around 120 environmental schemes have received grants through the landfill tax credit scheme.

Projects during the past year include:

l £150,000 to fund a learning through landscape officer for North Yorkshire

l £11,000 for conservation work at Catterick Garrison's Foxglove Covert nature reserve

l more than £70,000 to improve community halls and similar facilities

l more than £60,000 for conservation work on nature reserves and woodland areas

All have been within a 10 mile radius of Yorwaste's landfill sites across North Yorkshire.

MD Steve Grieve said: "Yorwaste has continued in its own efforts to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill.

"We hope to see more bids to Yorventure for projects which promote a more sustainable lifestyle, while continuing to make practical environmental improvements at grass roots level."