EVERY household in North Wiltshire will be supplied with a wheelie bin and kerbside recycling will be introduced within the next two years in a bid to reduce landfill.

Under the proposals North Wiltshire District Council, responsible for refuse collection in towns like Wootton Bassett and Chippenham, will only collect as much rubbish from each home as will fit in the wheelie bin.

The bins will cost the council about £1.2 million.

It says it recognises it must seriously improve its recycling facilities at the same time, to make the plans realistic.

The council's executive committee agreed last week to let officers invite quotes from companies to supply the bins, and they will start being phased in around springtime. It is expected to be two years before every house has one.

The committee also agreed to limit the amount of garden rubbish collected to two sacks per household.

The council has to meet the Government's targets to recycle 10 per cent of rubbish by 2003/4 and 18 per cent by 2005/6. Currently just 8.6 per cent of rubbish is recycled in the district.

The 52,000 households in north Wiltshire produce 61,000 tonnes of rubbish every year.

The council's cleansing and amenities team leader Melanie Scott, said: "There are various funds available to pay for this and we will be applying for them.

"We expect to start handing out the bins at the beginning of the next financial year and we will only take what fits in the bin.

"It will be a case of if it doesn't fit, the rubbish lorries won't take it.

"For a long, long time, our bin men have taken anything and everything and it will take a lot for people to get used to."

Until now, the council has encouraged people to take recyclable goods to the collection points at supermarkets and the household recycling centres at Stanton St Quintin and Purton.

"Now we need to go further to get more people involved," said Mrs Scott.

"We need to look at those people who wouldn't even think about recycling and ultimately that means kerbside recycling collections.

"I hope within two years kerbside recycling and wheelie bins will be in operation across the district."

Swindon Council has no plans to change from its current policy of issuing households with one bin bag per household per week.