A GARDEN waste collection service has been launched on the Isle of Wight due to popular demand.

Residents who want garden waste such as leaves, sticks and grass cuttings collected from their home each fortnight will have to sign up for a year, at a cost of £60.

An introductory offer of £52 — or £1 a week — is available for those who join by January 28.

The current scheme, where people request individual collections, costs an average of of £1.95 a week.

Those who sign up will be provided with a 240 litre wheelie bin or hessian sack for their garden waste, which will be collected from the kerbside.

Council cabinet member for waste management, Cllr Michael Murwill, said: "Local people have told us they would like a convenient scheme such as this, offering the choice of having garden waste picked up from their property, instead of having to arrange to take it to the tip.

"There are many great things about this scheme, especially as approximately 11,000 tonnes of garden waste is generated on the Island every year and we want to collect as much as possible in these special bins and sacks to help the environment."

Early bird subscribers will also receive a free Christmas tree collection. All other Christmas tree collections will cost £5.

For further information and to sign up, call 823777 or visit www.iwight.com/Greengardenwaste