77455-39BLACK bin bags left by the side of the road will soon be a thing of the past for most residents in West Swindon.

The first wheelie bins, which will replace the old bags, have been delivered to homes in the area and they will be delivered to every house over the next two weeks. But the bins will only be collected every two weeks.

People living in flats will continue to use the old bin bags because they have nowhere to store the bulky bins.

Clive Wilson, who used to be a driver at Swindon's landfill site, was the first resident to get his hands on one of the bins.

The 62-year-old, of Markenfield Close, said: "I think it's going to encourage more people to recycle because we have to sort our rubbish out.

"It's much easier to wheel these bins out rather than carrying heavy bin bags."

Mr Wilson is also pleased he will not have to continue buying bin bags.

He said: "The wheelie bins are going to cut costs. Although they cost more to buy, once we've got them that's it.

"The council will not have to supply us with bin bags they never give us enough anyway."

Swindon's Mayor, Peter Stoddart, delivered the wheelie bin personally to Mr Wilson.

He said: "It's a great idea and it's going to help the council hit their recycling target."

More than 10,000 bins will be delivered over the next two weeks. They will only be collected every fortnight.

And some residents think collections should be weekly, like the recycling scheme.

But council spokeswoman Sheila Roberts said: "We are still collecting recyclables on a weekly basis. We are just asking residents to sort their rubbish."

The bins are supplemented with new recycling facilities, including a new collection point for plastic bottles at the West Swindon Centre.

Coun Justin Tomlinson, who is responsible for recycling and waste collection at Swindon Council said: "Experience from elsewhere in the country shows that the bins quickly become popular with local people.

"They hold the same amount of rubbish as four big sacks, neighbourhoods don't get covered in litter caused by split bags on rubbish day and if potentially messy waste like food scraps or nappies are wrapped securely in plastic carrier bags, then they don't smell."

Lyndsay Scanlan