A FIVE step process to help residents recycle has been launched by Cotswold District Council.

The campaign titled 'five simple steps' is launching asking residents to pre-sort their recyclables before they are presented for collection at the kerbside.

Currently, residents use a black box for used paper, magazines, glass items, cans/tins.

A white sack for mixed plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays and a blue sack for cardboard.

Now the council are encouraging people to keep paper and magazines separate from glass items within the black box or by acquiring a second black box at no cost.

Residents can now place tins/cans and aerosols into their white sacks with plastics as these can now be separated at the recycling plant.

The ‘five simple steps’ are as follows:

Step 1 – Use one black recycling box for paper and magazines. If you only have room for one box, put the papers at one end and the glass at the other.

Step 2 – Use a second black recycling box for all glass bottles and jars - no broken glass. You can order a second box if you need one.

Step 3 - Use the white recycling sack for tins/cans, aerosols, plastic bottles, food trays, yoghurt pots and other types of mixed rigid plastics.

Step 4 – Use the blue recycling sack for corrugated (brown coloured) cardboard or light (grey coloured) card.

Step 5 – Use the green caddy for food waste.

Cllr Sue Coakley, CDC cabinet member for the environment, explains the benefits of additional pre-sorting

“We are delighted that so many people across the district are keen recyclers and we want to make sure that all the materials they present can be recycled," Sue said.

"This now means that we need their help to do a little more pre-sorting before the items are collected.

"Keeping the glass and paper separate means that both materials can be recycled more easily.

"The ‘five simple steps’ also help to speed up collections, cutting down on disruption to traffic flows caused by Ubico vehicles.

“The council will be happy to supply a free extra black box on request.

"I hope that being able to recycle tins and plastics together, will make life easier for residents, but I would ask that they “wash and squash” the items first to make the most of the white sack’s capacity and also to keep it clean.“

To request an extra black box, email the CDC waste team at cdc@cotswold.gov.uk or call 01285 623123.