A NEW recycling warden will encourage Newport residents to recycle more of their rubbish.

Newport city council has appointed Mike Johnston, 54, from Cwmbran, to the role which was designed to support the council's Rethink Rubbish campaign, launched last July.

The people of Newport currently recycle and compost 12 per cent of their rubbish, yet as much as 85 per cent of what we still throw away is recyclable.

One of Mr Johnston's aims is to educate households about the consequences of not recycling, and ways in which they can recycle.

He said: "I will be speaking to residents who I meet in the street and knocking on doors looking for people to talk to about recycling.

"My job is to raise awareness and encourage people to use the council's green box recycling scheme. It's about protecting the community of the future, that of our children and grandchildren.

"The Newport landfill site only has 10 years' life left in it at the current rate that we throw away rubbish."

Councillor Graham Dally, cabinet member for transport and sustainable development, said: "Over 50,000 households now have access to the green box kerbside collection service. There's nothing to stop us from becoming the greenest city in Wales."