A PUSH to encourage more recycling and reduce landfill will soon be seen all around the Cotswolds.

New slogans will be emblazoned on the sides of waste vehicles as they travel through the district delivering two important messages to households.

Ubico, the district council's waste provider, will be launching the initiative over the next few weeks to help spread the green message.

The first slogan will read: "Don't WASTE your money! The waste in this lorry is all going to landfill." The message goes on to ask people not to throw their money away and says residents pay £1.25 million a year to bury waste.

The other slogan reads: "Thanks a £MILLION. Recycling and composting by Cotswold District residents saves almost £1.7 million on landfill tax costs every year."

The new slogans are just one of a number of measures being undertaken by the council to encourage residents to follow the "RRR Challenge" - Reduce, Re-use and Recycle.

Sue Oakley, CDC Cabinet member for the environment explained: “Our residents currently recycle nearly 60 per cent of waste in the district. This is by far the best performance in Gloucestershire and compares well with many other authorities across the country. Nevertheless, like many local authorities, we have seen a slight reduction in recycling over the last couple of years. We want to highlight this downward trend and encourage greater awareness of the need to cut down on landfill."

She added: “The Joint Waste Team has put together a very useful information sheet about the ways people can respond to the RRR challenge and we will be including a few examples in the next edition of the council's newsletter which will be delivered to all households at the end of November.

“We are also launching a green community scheme soon which will encourage residents to work together to develop their own RRR initiatives and encourage us all to do more."

Other green suggestions include avoiding unnecessary packaging by using refills and concentrates, asking yourself if you really need something, considering different ways to shop such as buying second hand or hiring items. Other avenue is to stop junk mail from being pushed through your door by going to optout@royalmail.

More information about reducing waste can be found on the district and county council's websites.