Published: 11/12/2018
COPELAND Council is asking residents to make this festive season a bumper one for recycling.
The council introduced an improved kerbside recycling service in April this year, extending the materials collected to include paper, metal, glass, card and plastic.
Coun Mark Holliday, Copeland's portfolio holder for customers and communities, said: “Christmas and the weeks leading up to it is a brilliant time to make the most of our collection service. There’s so much that can be recycled – everything from delivery boxes to the cans and bottles from parties and all the wrapping and Christmas cards.
“As people will know, you can put out as much recycling as you want as long as it’s secure and contained so it doesn’t blow away. We’d also ask that you use the bags and boxes provided if you can. As they are designed to hook onto our lorry for fast unloading. You are welcome to collect extra ones from our Market Hall office. Please don’t use very heavy containers or oddly-shaped containers.
The council has issued some useful hints and tips to help residents get the most out of recycling this Christmas.
Lots of wrapping paper can be recycled – but some contains metal or plastic. Generally, paper that looks like foil, or has a metallic finish, cannot be recycled. Try scrunching the paper into a ball in your hand. If, when you open your hand, it springs out and does not stay crumpled, it probably can’t be recycled.
Other festive tips include:
*Remove the sticky tape from your gift wrapping
*Don't include curling ribbon or stick-on bows, which are made of plastic
*Only recycle gift bags if they are made of plain paper or card - a foil finish can't be recycled.
*If you have brown paper from parcels, please include it with your card recycling (not paper).
*Online delivery boxes can be put into your white bag - remember to take out any polystyrene and packing tape, and flatten it down as much as possible.
*Christmas cards - glitter can't be recycled so tear off that part as well as any batteries or badges.
*Cans and bottles from the festivities can of course be recycled. Keep the metal tops on your bottles as these will be recycled too
*Aluminium food trays can be recycled, just give them a rinse.
*Those big biscuit tins can be added to your tins and cans for recycling
*The clean foil from your turkey can be put in your black box with cans, or taken to a bring site. Just make sure it's scrunched into a ball so that it doesn't blow away.
*For the four per cent of homes that don’t get kerbside deliveries, the council’s bring sites will be open and regularly serviced – a list can be found at www.copeland.gov.uk.
*Christmas trees - the most environmentally-friendly option is an artificial tree, but if you have a real one, cut it up and add it to your brown garden bin for when collections restart in the spring.
Picture caption:
Copeland staff getting ready for Christmas recycling with mayor Mike Starkie.
