KERBSIDE recycling could come to Malmesbury and Lyneham by next summer. The two towns are joined by Purton and Cricklade in a bid by North Wiltshire District Council to the government for £72,473 to start fortnightly collections of old glass, paper and drink cans.

The money will be used to extend a kerbside recycling scheme launched this year in Wiltshire, covering towns including Chippenham, Calne, Corsham and Wootton Bassett.

The district council's lead member for recycling and waste management, Coun Sylvia Doubell, said she hoped the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs would stump up the cash.

She said: "The government is having to make money available for

recycling waste management to meet their targets because every council is going to fail to meet those targets.

"I hope DEFRA give us the money. What is the point in giving us money to do the job if it is only half complete?"

Malmesbury and Lyneham were left out of the initial £1.1million scheme

because they failed to reach the

population density needed to hit

Wiltshire County Council's target of serving 57,500 households across the county.

The county council said it was the

responsibility of the district councils to find money to extend the scheme to other towns in their area.

Environmental campaigners in Malmesbury were angry that the town had been left out and the Gazette launched a campaign to bring the scheme to the town.

Malmesbury was the first town in Wiltshire to have its own recycling

directory, compiled by volunteers, which list places where many old goods can be recycled.

Coun Doubell said the money, if granted by DEFRA, would cover only the running costs of extending the scheme for a year.

The district council would have to pay for the system to continue in subsequent years.

Money would also need to be found to fund a new collecting vehicle because the six in use currently were at maximum capacity.

She said: "We will not be able to expand the recycling scheme with the vehicles we have got, they are fully committed.

"We will need one vehicle to do the extra bit."

The cost of that vehicle is likely to be around £70,000, Coun Doubell said.

If DEFRA reject the bid the district council will have to pay for the scheme itself, subject to approval from the council's executive.