NEW recycling bins are to be rolled out in Barrow as part of the council's £2m bid to improve services.

Barrow Borough Council is to sign a deal with FCC Environment to provide a refreshed refuse, recycling and street cleansing service.

The announcement comes after the area was found to be below the national average for recycling rates.

Councillor David Pidduck, leader of Barrow Borough Council, said: “We all know that recycling is good for the environment. Bottles, cans and newspapers can all be made into new bottles, cans and newspapers saving precious resources from being wasted, and not landfilling waste saves you – the council tax payer – money.

“Here in Barrow we are always looking to provide our residents with the most efficient way of doing things so we are refreshing the way we recycle in the borough and our new service will deliver this.”

The new contract will see the introduction of new glass-collection boxes and burgundy bins for dry, mixed recyclables.

The bin will take card, paper, plastic, cans, foil and tetra paks.

Both bin and box are to be collected on the same day on a fortnightly basis.

There will still be a collection of black waste bins every week, and FCC Environment will also be introducing the Barrow Garden Waste Club to turn garden waste into high quality compost to be used in public parks and spaces in the town.

It is part of an almost £2m investment to deliver and improve services in the area.

Cllr Pidduck said: “We hope that the new collection arrangements will be welcomed by our residents and that they appreciate we will continue to collect their household waste on a weekly basis.

“The new recycling containers will make life easier for them.”

The contract, which will start on April 1 and last for an initial seven years, will be signed at the opening of a pop-up recycling shop this lunchtime at 1pm.

The shop, at 24 Duke Street, Barrow, will remain open until the end of April to allow residents to talk to the council team about the changes.

Cllr Pidduck said: “We are delighted to have signed this contract with FCC Environment and look forward to working with them to provide an excellent service to the residents of the borough.”

FCC Environment chief executive Paul Taylor said: “We are delighted to sign a contract today with Barrow Borough Council to carry out these vital functions on their behalf.”

Across the country, the average recycling rate is 42 per cent, with Barrow and Copeland borough councils falling short on 31 per cent.

While nearby South Lakeland District Council matched the average, it is still below the government's target for all local authorities to recycle half of all waste by 2020.

Both Barrow and Copeland have, however, more than double the recycling rate of the lowest local authority, the London borough of Newham, although fall far behind South Oxfordshire and Rochford District Councils, who lead the way with 66 per cent.