Plastic pots, tubs and trays to join recycling mix

Deputy council leader Tim Rowkins with some of the new items that will be collected from Monday onwards

Mixed recycling in Brighton and Hove will now include plastic pots, tubs and trays, the council has said.

From Monday, items such as yoghurt pots, fruit punnets and margarine tubs will be added to the kerbside collections instead of being thrown in the waste bin.

They can go in both kerbside recycling and communal recycling (bins with light blue lids) alongside plastic bottles, tins and cans, paper and cardboard, Brighton & Hove City Council said.

Deputy leader Tim Rowkins, member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: "Improving our recycling provision has been a top priority for us, and I'm very pleased to be adding these plastics to our collections."

He added there had been "major progress" on recycling and the council planned to further increase the variety of materials for collection.

"We are finalising plans to accept food and drink cartons and aluminium foil soon, but for now please don't put them in with your recycling as they could contaminate the load," he said.

"With pots, tubs and trays it's important to remove any plastic film first as that can't be recycled – and as with all recycling, keep them clean, dry and loose.

"Give food containers a rinse and shake dry before putting them in your household recycling bin or communal recycling."