Stewartry residents start receiving bins ahead of introduction of Dumfries and Galloway Council's new household waste system

Stewartry residents started receiving their new bins this week ahead of the council’s multi-million pound waste and recycling service getting under way.

Homes in Cotton Street, Castle Douglas, were among those to receive a bin for paper and another for plastic.

The new collection process is due to get under way in April. The existing wheelie bin for general waste will be collected every fortnight with the new bins collected every month.

There will also be communal glass collection sites for people to drop off empty bottles and jars.

The new system was officially launched last week with council officials believing it will put the region “at the forefront” of recycling.

The local authority’s previous attempt at recycling began in Wigtownshire in 2014 but had to be abandoned after a string of problems.

More than £23 million has been spent on the new system which is being rolled out across the region after a successful pilot in Wigtownshire last year.