Fifty householders are wanted as "guinea pigs" for a new recycling scheme.

West Oxfordshire District Council wants them to try a new Green Cone waste disposal unit which can use leftover food and garden rubbish.

The six-month trial is to test how effective the system can be.

Paul Wesson, chairman of the waste management sub-committee, said: "The Green Cone may represent an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to dispose of food waste.

"It may allow us to reduce the amount that we send to landfill sites and increase our level of recycling."

The units resemble home composters and are designed to take both food and some garden waste. Unlike compost heaps, the collected rubbish does not need turning.

The Green Cones are being supplied free to the first 50 callers on the council's enquiry number, 01993 770222.

Householders will be asked to record how much waste is diverted into the cones from their domestic wheelie bins and fill in a questionnaire.