THE council's wheelie bin roadshow has got under way to clear up any confusion about how many bins are allowed and which rubbish goes where.

Passers-by curiously surveyed samples of their soon-to-be acquired wheelie bins during the first roadshow in Old Town.

And waste wardens deftly fielded queries about tricky items to dispose of such as light bulbs and aerosols.

One of the roadshow's objectives is to convince more people to opt for a smaller bin.

Only 7,000 households out of 85,000 have gone for the 120-litre rather than the 240-litre bins so far.

For households which need more than one bin, waste wardens will pay a visit first to assess whether they are recycling enough.

"If people are abusing the system, the warden will ensure they are acting responsibly," said recycling officer Andrew Cook.

Mr Cook said 300 tonnes of recyclable waste has been collected every week since July 23. He said the only collection hitches are caused by street layout.

"Collection is difficult in some areas because of the layout of streets, but we are trying to sort it out," said Mr Cook.

He praised the performance of the 18 collection lorries, which are embarking on 10 new routes.

"The crews are doing a good job under the circumstances," he said.

And residents can expect tidier streets in the future thanks to the wheelie bins, said Mr Cook.

"Black bags were a target for animals, causing litter to be strewn around the street," he said.

"The bins will keep the neighbourhoods tidy as the rubbish is contained within it.

"They will also limit the amount of rubbish people chuck in."

The roadshow will move on to the Ellendune Centre in Wroughton.

"Every day this week, we are trying to go to each area in Swindon," said Mr Cook.

"We want to let people know that the wheelie bins are coming. Some people have never seen them before or used them."

John Bowen, from Liden, had already purchased his own wheelie bin to avoid animals tearing the bags.

"The wheelie bins are a good idea," said the 54-year-old.

"They are useful as you just put the rubbish in and shut the lid."

His only concern about the council's revamped refuse service is sometimes the bags containing plastic bottles blow away as they are too light.

Wendy Standfast, from Chiseldon, said the new greener waste service couldn't have come quickly enough.

"I think we should have done more earlier," said the 66-year-old.

"We are killing our environment and the world as we are so greedy and wasteful."