INITIATIVES to cut household waste are under way in the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade area.

Waste workshops, an anti-litter campaign and education are all being tried as part of a Wiltshire Council funded programme being run by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

Pupils at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, along with primary school youngsters at St Batholomew’s in Bassett and St Mary’s in Purton, have been getting the message to reduce their rubbish and recycle more. So have Purton and Lydiard Scout Group.

Over half term the trust’s waste team helped children make Halloween crafts out of everyday household rubbish and ran a popular pumpkin carving and soup making event.

A spokesman for the trust explained: “In Wiltshire each household throws away a tonne of rubbish a year - the same weight as a small car.

“Almost 45 per cent of this rubbish was recycling and composting, which is great, but up to half of the rubbish we throw into our black bins could be recycled at home using Wiltshire Council’s recycling collections.

“Much of it is food waste but textiles, paper and plastic bottles can all be recycled at home yet often end up in the black bin.”

A progress report on the scheme was given to last night’s area board meeting at the REME Museum. More events are planned, including a toiletries and gift set workshop on November 15 and a decorations session on November 29 in Cricklade, with another workshop in Wootton Bassett on November 16.Visit wiltshirewildlife.org or call 01380 736077.