HOUSEHOLDERS across Hambleton and Richmondshire are being urged to recycle more.

The two district authorities are asking residents to add more light card into their recycling bags – which are collected fortnightly from the kerbside.

“All paper and some light card - including cereal boxes, food packaging and health and beauty packaging – can now be taken at the kerbside,” said recycling officer Louise Granger.

“The card must be white or grey based - brown cardboard cannot be taken as the mill where the materials are recycled are unable to recycle it. “

She added: “By adding card to the list of products we can take at the kerbside we can reduce the amount we send to landfill and increase the income for the authorities – good for the councils and for the environment.”

Householders can put a range of paper-based materials into the blue bags - newspapers, magazines, catalogues, brochures, leaflets, junk mail, office paper, shredded paper, all envelopes, greetings cards, Yellow Pages and telephone directories.

But brown cardboard, tissue paper, plastic wrappers and paper based drink cartons cannot be taken.