A new text service has been launched by Recycle for London to make recycling even easier for Londoners.

The text service is the first of its kind in the country. Residents in the capital will be able to request details of when their recycling is collected or where their nearest recycling facilities are, all by texting RECYCLE and their full postcode to the number 63131. There is also a direct link in the text message to their local recycling helpline so residents in each London borough can order their recycling box or bag immediately if they have not yet got one.

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: "We‘‘re getting much better at recycling more of our rubbish, particularly as services across the boroughs are improving. However, London households still produce enough rubbish to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool every hour, which is why the latest Recycle for London advertising campaign is introducing this pioneering new service to make it even easier to recycle. With so many of us relying on our mobiles, the new text service is a quick and easy way to make sure you‘‘re putting the right things out for recycling, on the right day, or taking them to the right place."

Eighty per cent of London residents now have access to a recycling collection from their home, meaning more rubbish can be recycled than ever before. Up to 60 per cent of an average bin‘‘s contents can be recycled, from paper to cans, glass bottles and jars, aerosols, cardboard, textiles and in some boroughs plastics. However, with current recycling rates for the capital at only 13.2 per cent, the Recycle for London campaign has launched the text service to provide a 21st century solution for people who want it to be even easier to do their bit for the environment.