THOUSANDS of homes across Southampton will be able to get rid of their garden waste free of charge from June this year.

Members of the city council's ruling Liberal Democrat Cabinet are today set to approve a scheme which will see grass cuttings, leaves and other garden waste picked up free of charge from households across Southampton once a fortnight.

The project is set to cost about £760,000 this year, dropping to £649,000 in subsequent years.

It will be paid for by axing plans to introduce a once-a-month collection of glass, which would have cost £377,000. Residents will still be able to dispose of their glass through bottle banks, which are located across the city.

The rest of the cash will be raised from revenues clawed back from the government.

City chiefs are also set to scrap Southampton's current charging scheme for green waste collection, which is paid by about 6,000 homes in the city.

The charge was to rise from £15 a year to £20 but it will now be dropped. Any residents who have already paid the annual bill will be able to claim a refund.

City bosses hope the new scheme will boost the amount of waste Southampton recycles to between 24 and 25 per cent this year.