ALMOST 300 tons of paper and textiles and more than 42 tons of plastic and cans have been collected in Worcester's new kerbside recycling scheme during its first month.

Emma Stuart, the kerbside promotion officer for the city council, said the collection of 42.6 tons of plastic and cans and 267.4 tons of paper and textiles has meant that many households had run out of the collection sacks.

"Recycling in Worcester has got off to an even better start than anyone imagined and the enthusiasm shown by householders has caught everyone by surprise.

"The amounts collected so far are amazing. Our view is that people have been saving up their recyclable items, boosting their first week's totals to an incredible high," she said.

As well as the amount collected, the number of households taking part was higher than expected, with much of the success attributed to children after a series of talks at schools and community groups.

"Feedback shows that children are going home from school and encouraging their parents to think about recycling in a more positive way," she said.

However, there were some teething problems, mainly with confusion over which materials went into which sack, people not tying sacks before putting them out and bags being put out after crews have been collecting.

New recycling bags were due to be delivered to homes over the next few weeks but, in the meantime, the council has a small supply for collection from The Butts depot..