Forest of Dean District Council in England has expanded its recycling collection service to include plastic pots, tubs and trays.

Residents across the Forest of Dean can now include several types of plastic in their weekly kerbside recycling collections, alongside plastic bottles.

This initiative aims to further improve the district's recycling performance.

Forest of Dean District Council deputy leader, portfolio holder for waste and recycling, and councillor Andy Moore said: "We know that our residents are eager to recycle more so we're delighted to be expanding the range of materials we can now collect at the kerbside."

The district ranks in the top 15% of English local authorities for waste and recycling, according to the latest Let's Recycle rankings. Moore highlighted that this change would lead to recycling more and therevby reducing the amount of plastic sent to incineration.

“While we’re pleased to offer more recycling options, we also encourage everyone to think about how they can reduce the amount of plastic they use in the first place. Recycling is important, but reducing our reliance on plastic is even better for the environment,” Moore added.

The council advises that the plastic pots, tubs, and trays should be rinsed and placed in the green recycling box used for other recyclables. To prevent lightweight plastics from blowing away, residents are encouraged to stack another recycling container on top of the box.

The expanded list of recyclable plastics includes yoghurt pots, margarine and ice-cream tubs, fruit and vegetable punnets, and trays for meat and biscuits.

However, certain plastics remain nonrecyclable through kerbside collection in the district such as soft plastics, cling film, bubble wrap, and some hard plastics, including flower pots and toys.

The council said it will continue to collect plastic bottles as usual, and advised residents to leave lids on but dispose of trigger sprays in general waste.