New measures to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill come under scrutiny next week.

Bradford Council's executive will consider giving funding to community and voluntary groups which already run recycling schemes when in meets on Tuesday(24th).

And it will decide whether to lend its weight to the Real Nappy Campaign, which encourages parents to choose reusable nappies over disposables.

The Council already pays community and voluntary groups a recycling credit of £49 per tonne of household waste they recycle. But this does not always cover their actual costs.

New plans would see the credit increase to include collection costs.

Councillors will be asked to formalise existing arrangements with two of the larger voluntary schemes - Aire Valley Recycling and Bradford Organics Collection Service.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the executive member for the environment, said: "The Council faces considerable fines from the Government if it does not reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

"We need to increase recycling in the district and the costs to the Council of supporting these schemes must be weighed against the cost of doing nothing."

Other measures the Council is undertaking this year include: improvements to household waste recycling centres and opening a new one in Manningham, offering garden waste collections to 100,000 households, kerbside paper recycling to 140,000, and piloting a furniture recycling scheme with Catholic Housing Aid.