Residents across Dacorum are being urged by the borough council not to place greeting cards in green wheeled bins or in their paper recycling box, to avoid contaminating the load.

Instead, the council is advising residents to take advantage of a number of Christmas card recycling schemes being held in supermarkets and locals shops in January.

If contaminated waste makes it to a recycling facility it may be rejected and sent to landfill, which has both environmental and financial consequences.

To prevent this, Dacorum Borough Council waste teams are instructed not to empty green bins that they see have been contaminated.

Advice about recycling, collections and what can go in each of the different bins is available at: www.dacorum.gov.uk/recycling or call 01442 228000 and ask for waste services.