Tough new recycling rules mean the future for waste disposal could lie in schemes like one being tested in a York suburb.

Huge increases in the amount of rubbish we are producing, and a move away from landfill disposal, means local councils are legally required to at least double recycling levels by 2004.

In York, recycling of household waste stands at six per cent, with a major consultation launched yesterday in the city and North Yorkshire to try to boost that figure.

One possibility is the scheme being piloted in York's Huntington and Holgate areas, where residents separate anything recyclable from their rubbish.

Cans, plastic bottles and papers are all put into blue containers and left out alongside other waste for council employees to collect.

Kate Fletcher, of Geldof Road in Huntington, is a big fan of the scheme.

She admits that previously she, her husband Neil and their four children "weren't the greenest of families", with most things going in the bin.

But after a few weeks they were asking if something was recyclable before throwing it out.

"I think it is a great idea. At first I was wondering whether it would work, but I soon got used to it," Kate said.

"With four kids and a dog we do create quite a bit of rubbish, but a lot of it does now go out for recycling. I would definitely say the amount of other rubbish we leave out has gone down."

Kate said her neighbours also backed the scheme, with blue bags and boxes outside the street's houses every Thursday.

City of York Council staff will hope more residents share those views, as they aim for their 2004 target.

Council deputy leader Dave Merrett knows how tough it will be, but said they could not afford to stand still.

"No-one is saying it is going to be easy. But it can be done. When I first became a councillor we were recycling between one and two per cent of rubbish, but we have increased on that.

"People's attitudes are changing now, and with work we can increase that level further."

Updated: 08:57 Wednesday, June 20, 2001