A COUNCIL says that more people are obeying a rule not to over-fill their wheelie bins.

Chester-le-Street District Council ordered its dustmen not to empty wheelie bins, which are so full that the lids cannot be closed, because council officers say it is a potential health and safety hazard.

The move, introduced at the start of the month, was branded 'ridiculous' by some residents.

It coincided with a drive to get more people to put glass, paper and cans in kerbside recycling boxes to help meet EU and Government targets for a reduction in the amount of waste buried in landfill sites.

Cabinet member for the environment Alan Holden said more residents were following the rules.

"Despite initial animosity and unrest from the public to our requests to 'slim the bin', we have seen a significant reduction in over-filled bins with more householders participating in the kerbside recycling scheme.

"This is a period of change in how we deal with waste and the community is key in the process.

"It can initially be difficult for individuals to think about waste in a different way, but recycling is now becoming an everyday practice."

David Carpenter, general manager of Premier Waste Kerbside Collection, said: "We have seen a fantastic increase in household participation in the kerbside scheme with 2,100 additional green kerbside boxes being requested by the community.

"Our initial figures of recyclable materials collected from the district appear to have increased by at least ten per cent on previous months."