A GROUND-BREAKING project to boost recycling in Kent by up to 70 per cent in the next two years has been launched.

The first scheme of its kind in the south east, ReMaDe (Recyclables Market Development) will tackle the growing waste problem by encouraging businesses to cut down on waste and use recycled products. It hopes to recycle 77,000 tonnes of waste materials by 2004, bringing Kent and Medway in line with government targets.

Glass, organic waste, plastics and paper will be prioritised, with companies encouraged to reduce, recycle, re-use and transform waste.

Co-ordinated by Kent County Council, it has won £600,000 in land fill tax from the Canterbury-based Brett Environment Trust to be spent over three years.

Brett Waste Management director Alastair Finlayson said: "My hope is businesses will recognise waste minimisation is socially desirable and offers potentially-profitable opportunities."