KENNET District Council is to dramatically increase its spending on waste collection in order to recycle more materials.

The council has been set a target of recycling 25 per cent of household waste in Kennet by 2006. Its current recycling rate is 11.6 per cent.

Among the initiatives the council is planning to introduce is extending the kerbside collection scheme for newspapers, glass, cans and textiles to 90 per cent of the district.

It also plans to introduce a garden waste collection.

The amenity skips used by towns and parishes in the district are to be axed from next April as the rubbish collected in the skips is not recycled

The council is also considering building a household waste recycling centre near Tidworth but is waiting to see if the county council builds one there.

Kennet currently spends £53,440 a year on collecting and recycling household waste, but this will increase to about £400,000 by 2006.