North Wiltshire District Council joined forces with Wiltshire County Council to bid for money from the government's Waste Minimisation Fund.

The joint bid has been successful with the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs awarding £940,000.

The money will enable the provision of a kerbside dry recycling collection to 57,000 homes across the county.

Director Sue Pangbourne, who is responsible for recycling issues, said: "It's very good news and it will enable us to move forward with kerbside recycling much faster than would have been without the success of the joint bid."

Currently people need to take their own recyclable waste to a collection point

Councillor Monica Blake, who is a keen environmentalist, said: "This is very good news and I hope it will encourage more people to recycle. I often see newspapers and bottles put out for the dustmen, perhaps people will now use the new recycling boxes instead of throwing them away.

"Not everyone is able to get to recycling centres as not everyone has a car so this will help them do their bit for the environment too."

The scheme will start operating sometime this summer.

• STOP PRESS: Each week homes across north Wiltshire throw away tonnes of rubbish that could easily be recycled.

Most homes throw away an average of four glass bottles, 13 cans, three plastic bottles, and at least 5kgs of paper a week - all of which could be recycled.

Almost 50,000 tonnes of rubbish, including 2,000 tonnes of disposable nappies, are collected in the district each year and are buried at the Hills Waste landfill site at Compton Bassett, where a new hole (known as a cell) has just been dug.

The new cell covers an area equivalent to several football pitches and will be full within two years.