EMPTY food and drink cartons, foil trays and sheet foil can now be thrown into recycling bins in the Dorset Council area. 

While the waste is typically difficult to recycle due to the sorting process, Dorset Council’s new sorting facility partners are now able to separate the cartons for recycling. 

The Recycle for Dorset kerbside collection scheme has been an “enormous success” since its introduction over a decade ago, the authority said. 

Dorset Council is currently the number one unitary council in England for recycling, with 59.1 per cent of the waste we collect being recycled. 

A spokesman said: “We would be very grateful if everyone could rinse foil trays and wipe sheet foil clean if possible.  

“Sheet foil or wrappers should be scrunched into a ball roughly the size of a tennis ball before placing in your recycling bin. If it does not scrunch, it’s not the kind of foil that we can recycle. 

“Some items that look like foil (e.g. crisp packets, sweet/biscuit/chocolate bar wrappers, pet food pouches etc) are joined with plastic or paper.  

“Therefore, people should continue to keep these out of your recycling."

Jon Andrews, Dorset Council’s cabinet member for place-based services, said: “We’re very proud of our kerbside recycling scheme, and this development makes a great service even better.  

“By adding cartons and foil to the list of items we can receive in household recycling bins, we can prevent even more waste from going unrecycled.  

“Not only does recycling waste help us protect our natural environment, but it also saves us money that can be spent on essential services.”