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The Crumpsall-based Waterway Recovery Group, which helps to restore the region's canal network, has found donations have plummeted since the new recycling initiative was introduced.

Householders across north Manchester received notices of the new scheme involving doorstep collections of old newspapers organised by the greater Manchester Waste Authority.

Residents were issued with specially produced plastic sacks to store their wastepaper and a calendar of collection dates for the next 12 months.

The collections have so far provided a success for the local authority but have hit fund-raising by the Waterway Recovery Group which relies on wastepaper sales to fund its restoration work.

Campaign organiser David McCarthy is now urging all residents to continue to support the voluntary group's collections which have been running for 24 years.

He said: "All money raised goes to help restore Britain's waterways, except for a very small contribution towards our helpers' fish and chip lunches. We have no paid staff and all of us are unpaid volunteers.

"Unlike the council scheme, we can take all kinds of paper and card, including gummed envelopes, Yellow Pages, phone books, catalogues, cereal cartons, junk mail, cigarette packets and cardboard."

Forthcoming collections will be held on March 31, May 12, June 23 and July 21 when supporters are asked to leave their papers in plastic bags beside their own front door to be picked up from 9.30am.