HUNTINGDONSHIRE residents can now recycle everything plastic from yoghurt pots and margarine tubs to shampoo and milk bottles in their kerbside collections.

But other plastics still fall outside the district council’s recycling scheme.

HDC now includes plastic bottles of all types, yoghurt pots, margarine or spread tubs, ice cream tubs, trays from chocolate and biscuit boxes, trays from meat, vegetables and fruit, clean plant pots, bottle tops, lids and triggers, sandwich packets, cream and custard pots, soup pots, instant noodle pots and tubs for dishwasher and laundry tablets among items accepted in blue bin collections.

Hard plastic items such as toys, washing-up bowls and storage boxes, cannot be accepted, nor can plastic film or wrapping, plastic bags or black sacks, expanded polystyrene, bubble wrap, food waste or shredded paper.

Until now much of the 1.5 million tonnes of plastic packaging UK householders use around every year has this ended up in landfill, but the market for mixed plastic for recycling has improved.

Huntingdonshire residents are already some of the top recyclers in the country, with 57 per cent of its household waste being sent for recycling.

Accepting more plastics will help to remove any uncertainty over which plastics can be recycled.