YORK MP Hugh Bayley has thrown his weight behind York's biggest community recycling scheme, saying residents must "think green".

Mr Bayley joined recycling officers from St Nicholas Fields, in Tang Hall, on their latest round to demonstrate his support.

The community composting and recycling scheme is to expand its kerbside service after receiving a £43,000 grant from the social, economic and development programme.

The cash boost has enabled the group to employ two new officers, who will work to expand their weekly round to an extra 1,000 homes in Tang Hall and Lawrence Street over the next two years.

Mr Bayley said: "Most people want to recycle more, and kerbside collections like this make it easy.

"We have got to increase the amount we recycle or we will suffocate under a mountain of rubbish and wreck the planet. We can't keep burying and burying more and more waste."

St Nicholas Fields recycling officer John Brierley said he was "very pleased" to be able to offer free recycling to 1,000 more householders around St Nicholas Fields.

He said: "With a doorstep collection service like ours, recycling is as easy as putting out the rubbish."

Mr Bayley has also underlined his support for the Doorstep Recycling Bill which is due to appear before MPs it the House of Commons in the next few weeks.

Members of the St Nicholas Fields project and York Friends of the Earth were heading for London today to lobby MPs on the Bill. It calls for local authorities to provide doorstep recycling and composting facilities for every house in England and Wales by 2010.

Updated: 11:28 Wednesday, January 22, 2003