A DECISION is expected today (Wednesday) on whether Bromsgrove District Council should spend £135,000 to buy four second-hand recycling vehicles.

The freighters are needed to handle the red and blue recycling boxes, which have proved time consuming and labour intensive ever since the start of the local authority's recycling scheme in March.

A decision to spend the cash from the £500,000 set aside for additional recycling vehicles, anticipated to cost £360,000 in the revised capital programme, will be taken by members of the cabinet.

It was always expected additional vehicles would be necessary as more areas came on stream.

One of the reasons collections have been delayed is because of the greater than expected number of householders recycling plastic, cans and paper.

Privately, some councillors say the authority was guilty of purchasing the wrong type of recycling vehicles.

But the council claims it was DEFRA, the government department which sanctioned the loan to pay for the scheme, which would not pay for the vehicles the council wanted.

For this reason only four were originally purchased to see how well they functioned.

The low mileage second hand freighters will allow staff to empty boxes from the kerbside without having to climb inside.

The purchase is one of five other options the cabinet will consider. These range from buying six new vehicles, at a cost of £300,000, to leasing four second-hand vehicles for three years for £137,700.

Councillor Brian Fuller (Con-Hillside) is the cabinet member for the environment. He said: "These vehicles represent a big saving on new vehicles and would provide a much better service."