South Ayrshire Council has revealed "ambitious" plans to increase the amount of household rubbish being recycled.

From October, homes across the county will start receiving two extra bins in a bid to reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

One of these bins will be used for glass and the other for paper and card. Existing blue bins will be used for metals, plastics and cartons.

Garden waste bins and food waste caddies will also be provided to households ahead of a Scottish Government ban on food going to landfill which begins in 2021.

Currently, South Ayrshire recycles just 52.5% of household waste. Across the local authority area, 25,400 tonnes of waste was sent to landfill last year.

Councillor Ian Cochrane said: "Faced with new legislation and rising costs simply to sort through our waste we're saving money by getting the process right from the very start.

"Girvan will become the first area to use the new system in October, which will then be rolled out across South Ayrshire.

"By changing the way we work we'll be increasing the quality of well separated waste that we collect, allowing more waste to be recycled and releasing more value from the resources for community benefit.

"By taking control of this process we're also giving ourselves the opportunity to generate income and reduce costs through the sale of recyclable materials, something that will help to balance the books in the years ahead."