A TRIAL has begun of a scheme to enable people who live in flats above commercial premises, to recycle more.

Residents of 200 flats above shops and businesses in the Blackfen and Crayford area have been selected to take part in the trial.

Bexley is London’s top borough for recycling and manages to recycle around 52 per cent of the borough’s rubbish.

But while the recycling schemes put in place for people who live in houses has been a success,finding ways to enable people who live in flats, to take part has been more difficult.

The biggest problem is for people who live above high street shops and businesses, who cannot be expected to keep their recycling bins and boxes in their homes, yet have nowhere to store them outside.

In this latest scheme, residents in the trial areas will be able to recycle all their paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, cans, tin foil, glass bottles and jars.

The rubbish will not have to be separated but will be collected all mixed together and stored in clear sacks.

The clear sacks will be collected every week and the materials sent to a local sorting facility to be separated for recycling.

Residents who are taking part in the trial had their first collection last week.

If it is successful, Bexley is hoping to roll out the scheme to all residents in flats above shops who do not currently have access to a recycling service.