ARE you keen to recycle more but can’t because you’ve got too much to cram into your blue bin? Don’t worry – there’s now a simple solution.

Anyone with extra recycling waste can dispose of it by taking advantage of a new “clear sack” scheme introduced by Fenland District Council. It marks the opening of a wider “Quality Counts” recycling improvement campaign initiated by the council.

The see-through sacks are now available free from the four Fenland @your service shops. Residents can collect up to two sacks per household and recycling collection staff will replace them when they pick them up.

The sacks can be used for any extra recycling people may have and can take all the same things as the blue bin: food and drink cans, clean aluminium foil, aerosols, clean paper and card, glass bottles and jars, cartons and plastic bottles..

For safety reasons, residents are urged to limit the amount of glass put in the sacks so that they are not too heavy to lift.

Extra recycling can only be accepted in the special clear sacks provided because they enable the contents to be easily seen and identified. If the material is placed in other kinds of bags, the contents cannot be identified by the collection staff or those at the sorting facility. This presents a safety risk, so they are removed and not recycled.

Residents should continue to place the bulk of their recycling loose in their blue bins and only use the clear sacks for any extra material.

Councillor Peter Murphy, FDC’s portfolio holder responsible for the environment, said: “The range of materials we can collect for recycling has increased over the past few years and we know that occasionally residents have extra recycling that sometimes ends up in their green bin.

“We want to prevent this recycling going to landfill and give people who want to recycle more the opportunity to do so. Our recycling record in Fenland is already one of the best in the country and we’re aiming to make it even better through the various projects that will be included in our new ‘Quality Counts’ campaign. We’re confident that these clear sacks will help us achieve that.”