GREAT grandmother Sylvia Gray was one of hundreds of householders in Marlborough surprised when black plastic boxes turned up on their doorsteps this week.

They were delivered in preparation for the launch early next month of an expanded doorstep recycling scheme.

Not all homes in Marlborough and Manton have received the recycling boxes. The only areas to start with are those that previously had a fortnightly collection of newspapers in green bags provided by Kennet District Council.

The boxes are being introduced across Kennet to help the council meet its recycling target and reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites.

The message from Kennet is to box it rather than bin it.

The boxes, that will be collected fortnightly, are intended for newspapers and magazines, junk mail, glass bottles and jars, food and drink cans, textiles, pairs of shoes, belts, handbags, blankets and clean aluminium foil.

The lists provided to householders also state what must not be put in the boxes including plastic bottles, cardboard, Yellow Pages, flat or broken glass, duvets or pillows or shiny metallic plastic packaging like crisp or peanut bags.

Vince Kimber, Kennet's area environmental and amenity services officer, said: "It's very straightforward what can go in the bins and what should not be put in them.

"With each bin there is a self adhesive list that should be stuck on the lid and that reminds people what they can or cannot put in the bins."

The green bag newspaper recycling service run by Kennet will be discontinued.

Mrs Gray, whose son Tony was a former Kennet chairman, welcomed the opportunity to recycle more waste.

She said: "I have not been able to recycle much before apart from the bottles that someone would take to the bottle bank for me."