PEOPLE are being encouraged to recycle more following a study of what people bin.
Each week, the refuse collection team in Stockton sees a large proportion of extra bin bags put out alongside wheeled bins.
Stockton Borough Council's Care For Your Area Team took 100 of these extra bags for analysis and found more than three-quarters of the waste could have been recycled or reused.
The council claims it is now easier than ever to recycle, thanks to its kerbside collection, community recycling centres, green waste collection, subsidised compost bin sales - and by donating goods to charity shops.
Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "All this extra waste generated adds to the cost of refuse collections and is damaging to the environment.
"All the schemes we now have means it is easier than ever to recycle but we need residents to do their bit as well. Everyone needs to think before they bin and make the most of the recycling schemes on offer."
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