Every household served by the Black Box recycling scheme also gets a calendar. This shows when collections take place, how the service is affected by bank holidays, what can be put in the box and the location of household recycling centres.

For the first time, Wiltshire County Council has also produced fridge magnets, made from recycled materials, to accompany the leaflets. These will be delivered to more than 9,000 homes on key routes in the coming weeks.

The magnets, which are about twice the size of a credit card, remind people what they can put in their kerbside box and where they can get information on recycling.

The routes have been identified as those where Black Boxes are being used, but don’t get filled as much as we would hope.

Andy Conn, waste services manager, said: "There are lots of reasons why some routes do not perform as well as we might hope. For instance it could be that people don’t stay at one address for very long or aren’t sure what to put in the boxes. It might be that they are putting paper in the box but not glass or cans.

"The routes that we have identified are those where people are already doing some recycling. National studies have shown that these groups of people are willing to recycle more if you give them the means and the information.

"We know they have the means because like 98% of households in Wiltshire they have a Black Box. What we’re doing is reinforcing the messages on how to use them. If each household only puts out a little more for recycling each fortnight and you multiply that by 9,000 then the impact could be tremendous.

Having identified the rounds which will be targeted, the council’s contractor, Hills Waste Solutions, will also be able to measure the impact of the magnetic message. By spring 2009 the council will know how well this low cost incentive works.

The routes serve homes in Lyneham, Malmesbury, Purton, Bradford on Avon Warminster, Westbury, Trowbridge, Brinkworth, Wootton Bassett and Chippenham. However, not everyone in these towns and villages will get a fridge magnet because the chosen routes cover rounds where recycling is relatively low.

Andy Conn added: "This cost-effective and targeted effort is just one of the ways in which we’re working with residents to help them recycle more."

Although not every home will get a special fridge magnet a limited number are available to Wiltshire residents. If people email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with their name and address they will be given out on a first come, first served basis.