MORE than 3,000 houses could gain access to kerbside recycling services in Inverclyde under a new £90,000 proposal to expand services.

Inverclyde Council officers are planning to extend Inverclyde’s recycling service so that it includes tenements and communal properties which are not currently getting access to the utility.

A report states that the move will mean a further 3,300 households will gain access to the service as a result of the plans, which will improved Inverclyde’s overall recycling rate by an estimated two per cent from 47 per cent to 49.

Officers aim to introduce the new services to householders in March next year and are planning to submit a bid to the Zero Waste Recycling Improvement Fund to cover the costs of expanding the service.

The council anticipates requesting a grant of £90,000 to help pay for additional recycling containers and bin storage signage.

Alternative sources of funding will be explored if the bid is unsuccessful.

The council currently provides direct recycling services to around 35,800 households in Inverclyde, which covers approximately 91.5 per cent of the homes in the district.

There are currently around 3,700 properties which do not receive a kerbside recycling service.

Officers say that expanding the service would mean that almost 99 per cent of properties in Inverclyde will receive a recycling service, with the remaining households being within high flats.

The costs of carrying out door-to-door collections in high flat properties are prohibitively expensive.

After the implementation of the expanded scheme, officers say they will continue to look at how a recycling provision can be brought in for high-flatted properties and intend to work with the relevant landlords to find out what measures can be taken.

The council will communicate further details about the changes via a number of roadshows and events, as well as utilising social media and other methods of communication.