A NEW project is on a roll to provide every house in Weymouth and Portland with wheelie bins.

The Weymouth and Portland Borough Council scheme aims to cut the amount of household waste sent to landfill sites.

Every residential property in the borough will be provided with bins free of charge for household and organic waste.

Councillor Doug Hollings, council environment spokesman, said: "Residents have co-operated enthusiastically with the new green box recycling system and this collection service will complement rather than replace the green boxes.

"We all have a responsibility in further reducing the 18,000 tons of waste being disposed to landfill.

"If it is supported by all of us, then the new wheeled bin service will be expected to substantially reduce this amount."

Householders will receive a 180-litre wheeled bin for their household waste and a 120-litre wheeled bin for all household organic kitchen waste including corrugated cardboard.

The first phase of the scheme begins in October and will include 12,000 properties in Portland, Wyke Regis and southern Weymouth.

The remaining properties in the borough will join the scheme during the next two years.

Residents have already been recycling glass, cans, plastic bottles and lightweight cardboard through the green box kerbside recycling scheme.

Coun Hollings said: "Recycling is such an important subject for the borough.

"At the moment around 70 per cent of our waste goes to landfill sites and we have got to get that figure down. We are running out of landfill sites and we have got to start re-using materials for the benefit of future generations."

As well as being environmentally- friendly, the new bins will combat problems caused by gulls and foxes tearing open refuse bags and will make refuse collection safer.

Government targets have been put in place to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill sites.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council could incur heavy fines if it fails to meet the targets.

Coun Hollings has stated that every effort will be made to implement the new service with as little disruption to residents as possible.

The new bins will be free of charge for residents, and at the time of the launch there will be a publicity and education programme explaining how residents can use the new scheme.