Residents can now recycle more thanks to a Powys County Council expansion.

Residents are being encouraged to put items that are a blend of paper and plastic into their red recycling box for plastic, metal and tin.

Paper-based containers like crisp tubes, dough tubes, gravy granule tubes, paper coffee cups and food and drink cartons can all now be recycled.

Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys, said: “We are delighted to be able to expand the range of items we can recycle through the weekly kerbside collections.

“Previously, these paper-based containers would have ended up in the wheeled bin with the non-recyclable rubbish, so it is excellent news that we can now accept these in the red recycling boxes.

“Powys households have already proven to be dedicated recyclers, and we are keen to develop ways to help increase our recycling opportunities wherever possible.

“The introduction of these paper-based containers to the red box will help us keep up the county’s recycling momentum.”

Though these items are ‘paper-based’, because they contain a blend of plastic/ polythene and foil, they are to be placed in the red box with other plastic recycling.

After the red recycling boxes are collected, the cartons and other paper-based items are separated from the plastics and cans and baled together.

These bales are then sent to a dedicated reprocessing facility, where they are broken down into their component parts to be recycled.

Items must be cleaned before being placed in the correct recycling box for collection.

Red boxes can receive: