BURNLEY'S kerb-side recycling schemes for glass, cans and garden waste are to be binned due to a funding crisis.

The blue box collections of glass and cans will stop at the end of the month and the brown wheelie bin collections of garden waste look set to come to an end later this summer.

Both schemes were initially funded through a Government grant but Burnley Council had been working with Lancashire County Council on a long-term plan for recycling and hoped to enter a cost sharing agreement.

The council was advised that the best way to continue the collections was work out a deal with its refuse collection contractor, Biffa Waste Services Ltd.

Biffa initially said a change to a fortnightly collection of rubbish would provide a 25 per cent reduction in the council's refuse collection bill which, with additional funds from the county council could be used to pay for the kerb-side recycling collections.

But when councillors asked for a formal quote from the firm the costs that came back increased the cost of refuse collection by 10 per cent making the addition of a recycling scheme too expensive.

Councillor Peter Kenyon, executive committee member for resources, said: "This means we can't continue the existing blue box collection of glass and cans beyond the end of this month. There is also now a discussion as to whether we can continue the collection of green waste from 10,000 properties in the borough."

The paper collection will continue. Councillors are due to debate the funding tonight.