CHANGES to rubbish collections will make recycling simpler, Wiltshire Council says.

Black boxes will take glass only, while all other recyclables will be collected in the blue-lidded bins from July 30 next year.

And it will be possible to recycle more plastics, including food packaging and drink cartons.

The council expects people will need bigger bins to hold the extra waste, especially in the former Salisbury district where it says blue bins are 25 per cent smaller than elsewhere in the county.

It comes as the council says it has “resolved” its legal dispute with waste management company FCC Environment and handed the firm the contract to run its nine household recycling centres from October.

Hills Waste Solutions will continue to run waste collections.

FCC is planning to complete a “phased programme of site improvements” to council tips by the end of the year.

Exactly what this means for Salisbury and Amesbury recycling centres is not yet clear.

Bridget Wayman, councillor in charge of waste, said: “I am delighted we have now confirmed these contracts and we can get on with the job of improving our waste and recycling services for residents.”

Cllr Wayman said the council had “great working relationships” with both firms, despite the legal battle with FCC.

As previously reported in the Journal, the council was blocked from entering any new waste contracts while it faced action in the High Court. FCC mounted a legal challenge after the council's cabinet awarded Hills all five waste contracts for everything from rubbish collection to recycling.

The council refused to say why FCC challenged the decision, or whether the case made it to court.

Some opposition councillors welcomed the changes but Labour’s John Walsh said Wiltshire was lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of recycling.

He said the council’s garden waste charges had led to a drop in recycling. And he said a quarter of blue bin waste was polluted because residents had not “fully appreciated what little can be put in them, compared with other areas of the country”.

The council says some current Hills staff will transfer to FCC Environment in October.

There are currently no plans to alter the tip opening hours.