A MARSDEN man has hit out at Kirklees Council for thwarting his recycling efforts.

Graham Cockayne has been told he is not on a green bin collection route - despite houses just yards away having their recyclables collected by the council.

Mr Cockayne moved in to a bungalow at Stanley Court, Manchester Road, on March 19.

He asked for a green bin from Kirklees Council, as he is a committed recycler.

One was delivered, but it was not emptied as scheduled on April 19.

When Mr Cockayne asked why, he was told he was not on a designated collection route.

An inspector visited his home on April 26 and confirmed he was not on a route and said the green bin would be removed.

He also said Mr Cockayne's grey bin would be removed and he would have to put all his waste - reyclables and general refuse - in black bin bags for collection.

Mr Cockayne said he was willing to take his wheeled bins down the cobbled passage to his house and on to the main road.

But he was told that would make no difference.

He said: "There are green bins that get collected 200 yards from my house.

"It is classed as a rural route, but it is 100 yards from the main road."

Mr Cockayne, who is a gardener by trade, said he was angry at being unable to do his bit for the environment.

He said: "I'm very aware of the environment because of my job and I like to do my bit.

"I do a lot of recycling but every month all my waste has to end up in landfill.

"It's crazy, especially with the council's focus on recycling."

Mr Cockayne has been told it could be up to two years before he is placed on a designated collection route.

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said Mr Cockayne had been supplied with a green bin by mistake, instead of bin bags.

He said the Stanley Lodge properties are classed as in a 'perimeter area' and are not on wheeled bin collections.

He said the council plans to make recycling available to perimeter properties by the end of 2008.

He said: "We have a three-year recycling plan which includes providing wheeled bins where possible and recycling collections to all households in 2008-9.

"There are inevitably properties which are close to the boundaries of rounds, but we cannot absorb these into the wheeled bin rounds as they do not have capacity to do that at the present."

He added that the rubbish collected in bin bags was not put into landfill but burnt to produce power and ferrous metals and the ash from the waste plant is recycled.

The spokesman said residents who want to recycle can take their waste to council recycling sites, including Emerald Street in Huddersfield or Bent Ley Road at Meltham.