CIVIC chiefs in Hampshire are reminding people to properly dispose of their waste in the wake of the festive period, in a bid to increase recycling.

They also want people to think about the amount of food they are buying to stop leftovers being thrown out.

Disposing of waste from homes costs Hampshire County Council around £100m each year, the authority claims.

Councillor Rob Humby said: “It’s very easy to fall into the ‘just in case’ mentality and to stockpile food that may end up being thrown away, forgotten and wasted.

“Christmas can be a busy time for people, but we are trying to remind people of a couple of extra items they can pop in their recycling bin and the fact that left overs can be turned into some delicious new meals.

“With all the extra packaging at this time of year, remember that if your own recycling bin starts to overflow you can take lots of items to your nearest household waste recycling centre. Please take empty bottles to your local bottle bank.

“If we all recycled just 10 per cent more plain paper, we could save five million trees a year. Every bit counts.”

Items such as metal biscuit and sweet tins, cardboard, cards and envelopes can all be recycled in kerbside collections. However, wrapping paper, which contains foil, and moulded plastic packaging, such as toy packaging, cannot be recycled.

For more information on what can and can’t be recycled visit the Hampshire County Council website hants.gov.uk. The recycling centres are open seven days a week.