SIX city councillors will say goodbye to their rubbish sacks this week as they take delivery of wheelie bins for the first time.

Together they will be taking part in a four-week trial that will see them put the city's new recycling and refuse plans to the test.

The scheme, which features a 240-litre green bin for recyclables and a 190-litre grey bin for other waste, will take in almost a third of city households by the end of October.

It will also mean a switch to alternate weekly collections - in the first week the grey bin will be emptied and the green bin in the second.

Before this happens councillors are keen to see first-hand what the new scheme involves and how it will work.

Environmental protection officer John Bond said: "What better way to learn more about the new system than giving it a go?"

"Councillors feel that living with it on a day-to-day basis will help them to see exactly what changes residents will have to make to their waste disposal regimes.

"The lessons they learn will help them better respond to any queries residents may have and also help them to offer tried and tested solutions to everyday problems."

The switch to controversial wheelie bins was agreed as the only possible way forward by city councillors, after a cross-party group examined all possible alternatives.

Councillor Paul Denham, said: "We need to minimise the amount of waste produced, make the best use of the waste we do produce, and also minimise pollution from waste. The key to achieving all of this is recycling. Most people will find it much easier to recycle under the new system.

"There will be no need to separate paper, cans and plastic bottles - they will all go in the same bin. Glass bottles and jars can also be put in there too."

If the council fails to hit government targets for recycling it faces tough fines. Councillors Alex Kear, Paul Denham, Sam Arnold, Lucy Hodgson, David Clarke and Margaret Layland are all taking part in the two-week trial.

More details are available on the city council's website: www.cityofworcester.gov.uk. Resid-ents can also call the wheeled bin hotline on 01905 722448/722514.