York residents will be able to take a tour of one of the city's most unusual and interesting buildings this month.

City of York Council is opening its revolutionary new EcoDepot to the public on Sunday, 25 February. Residents will be able to take guided tours of the new building to learn more about how and why it was built.

The £9 million building uses solar panels to generate power and collects rain water to reduce the use of mains water by 90 per cent. The eco-friendly building was constructed using straw panels, and is one of the largest buildings of its kind in Europe.

Since its opening in December, the centre has been home to the council's Neighbourhood Service team, including the street cleaning; waste and recycling and gritting teams.

The building was joint funded by the council, Yorkshire Forward and the Department of Trade and Industry's Energy Savings Trust.

Residents will be able to take guided tours the building between 11am and 3pm on Sunday 25 February and see a film showing the depot's construction. Refreshments will be provided free of charge and younger visitors will be able to have their faces painted.

Information on household waste and recycling will be available from environmental group, York Rotters, and the council's Waste and Recycling team, and visitors will be able to stock up on free energy efficicency lightbulbs, thanks to the Energy Effiencey Advice Centre.

Residenst will also get the opportunity to take part in two free prize draws, with a chance to win two tickets to the Ideal Home Exhibition and a Bokashi bin, which recycles domestic waste into compost.