WYCHAVON District Council has introduced a new vehicle to the streets in a bid to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

The specialised vehicle fitted with a vacuum is travelling round towns collecting fallen leaves which are then taken to the Hill and Moor recycling centre for composting.

The council's client services manager, Sharon Casswell, said: "For the last four years we've been doing a similar thing in our parks, now we have extended it to our streets. It's just another way we can divert waste away from landfill."

Residents are being urged to compost their garden waste. Earlier this year the council replaced its garden waste collection service with a drive on compost bins.

"Garden waste can be recycled and used again as compost to keep gardens in tip-top condition all year round," Ms Casswell said. "This is much better than it being taken directly to landfill. Compost bins are very compact nowadays and don't cost the earth."

Bags of the soil improver are available for a small charge from household waste sites, for more information call 01386 861434. For more information about low cost composters call 0845 073 2001.