Householders across Powys are being urged to recycle as much as they can over the festive season.

Powys County Council is asking people to stop and consider how they can maximise their recycling efforts instead of throwing everything in to their rubbish bin.

Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet member for Waste and Recycling, said: “You’ll be amazed at how much of your waste can be recycled – from tin foil, food, glass jars and bottles to real Christmas trees, plain Christmas cards, plain wrapping paper, batteries, plastic bottles and more.

“If householders recycle everything that they can by either using their recycling boxes and food caddy or visiting their nearest household waste recycling centre, they will reduce the amount of waste that would be sent to landfill. By doing this, not only are householders helping us meet Welsh Government recycling targets but they are also helping our environment.”

The Waste and Recycling Team have produced some top tips to help households recycle as much as they can over Christmas:

Paper and card: Christmas cards that don’t have glitter on are recyclable; with wrapping paper and gift bags there is the super handy scrunch test: if you scrunch it and it doesn’t spring back, then it can be recycled; cardboard packaging, including that from online shopping, can be recycled; toilet roll tubes often get forgotten but it’s easy and worthwhile to recycle them.

Food waste: Your kitchen caddy can be used for all your food waste over Christmas including turkey bones, potato peelings, egg shells and tea bags.

Glass: The busy festive period leads to a giant 13,350 tonnes of glass bottles being chucked out, so remember to empty them and put them out.

Cans and plastics: Clean food and drink cans, aluminium foil, clean plastic bottles (rinsed, squashed, lids removed), aerosol cans, clean plastic food trays and clean pot and tubs can all be recycled, while soft plastics including cling film, carrier bags, bubble wrap and plastic magazine wrappers need to be placed in your black wheeled bin.

Real Christmas trees: Around 250 tonnes of real trees are thrown out when in fact they can be recycled if you take them to your nearest household waste recycling centre. Please check what days and time your nearest site is open by visiting www.powys.gov.uk

And following last week’s snow, Powys County Council has also confirmed recycling and waste collections return to normal from Monday.

Cllr Davies, commented: “I would like that thank householders for their understanding as we had to change our normal recycling and waste collection service because of the significant snowfall.”