Norwich City Council is due to install the first plastic bottle recycling banks within its boundary. The two banks should be installed at Waitrose (Eaton) and Sainsbury's (Queen's Road) in the next few days.

Funding was agreed for the banks in the spring when City Councillors were discussing the Council's budget for this financial year. The Green Group draft budget contained enough money for ten banks. The draft budget of the LibDem Executive did not contain any money for plastic bottle recycling banks - but because the Greens hold the balance of power on the Council they were able to insist that some of their spending priorities were at least partially realised, and this meant that money was agreed for two banks.

Councillor Adrian Ramsay, Green Group Co-ordinator, said: "I am delighted that, for the first time, there will be plastic bottle recycling banks in the City Council area. The need for plastic bottle recycling facilities is one of the most common issues raised with me by constituents. The Green Group would like to see many more plastic bottle banks, spread throughout the city, and we will be pushing for this to be a funding priority in the next Council budget. However, these two new banks are a good start and will enable many Norwich residents to recycle their plastic bottles."

The Greens have also successfully lobbied for other improvements to the recycling scheme in Norwich, which are due to be implemented in the next few months. This includes the extension of the green box scheme to more households in Norwich, the inclusion of metals (as well as glass and paper (in the green box scheme), the installation of banks for paper, glass and metals at many blocks of council flats (which the green box scheme doesn't cover) and the provision of on-street banks for paper and glass in some key city centre locations.

The Greens have pledged to continue lobbying the Council for a truly comprehensive recycling scheme in Norwich.