Plans to boost recycling by 50%

The amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites in a County Durham town could be cut if a changes to the way recycling is dealt with are approved.

Darlington Council is considering introducing a new type of technology called mechanical biological treatment.

The technique speeds up waste decomposition and makes it easier to take out recyclable material from general waste.

It would mean recycling rates would rise from 22% to 50%.

Cardboard recycled

It would also mean rubbish and recyclable tins and plastic could be put out in the same bin bag and metal would be "picked" out with a magnet.

Green boxes would still be used to collect paper and glass and, for the first time, cardboard could be recycled.

Nick Wallis, Darlington Council's cabinet member for sustainable environment and climate change, said: "We are still going to have weekly collections of black bags and fortnightly collections of the green boxes.

"The difference will be the new process which really turns the black bag into another recycling collection box."