Merton Council has expanded the range of materials that can be put into residents’ recycling boxes.

Plastic containers (including margarine tubs, yoghurt pots, meat trays, ice cream tubs and ready meal food trays) can be recycled, as well as empty aerosol cans and tin or aluminium foil.

Residents are now recycling over 37 per cent of household rubbish by using their home collection bins, with more than 16,000 tonnes of dry recyclables taken to a waste sorting site in Dartford, Kent.

Merton Council's cabinet member for environmental sustainability and regeneration, Councillor Andrew Judge, said: "We want to help residents recycle as much as possible, which is why we've expanded our recycling service.

“This will help people recycle even more of their household packaging, including food containers, tin and aluminium foil.

"We need to send even less rubbish to landfill to protect our environment and to lessen our landfill tax burden.

“Although we are looking to build a new energy from waste recovery facility, we are still looking at new ways to maximise the amount of waste we recycle in Merton."

What you can recycle in Merton:

  • Paper (the Wimbledon Guardian and other newspapers, magazines, white or coloured paper, junk mail, envelopes, catalogues and directories);
  • Plastic food containers e.g. butter tubs, yoghurt pots, fruit and vegetable punnets, meat trays, ready meal food trays and ice cream tubs;
  • Plastic bottles e.g. Mineral water, shampoo, detergent, bleach and plastic milk bottles;
  • Aerosol cans (when empty);
  • Aluminium/tin foil;
  • Cans and tins (Both steel and aluminium food and drink cans are accepted)
  • Cartons (all paper-based food and drink cartons such as for milk and fruit juice);
  • Card (includes large boxes if flattened and torn up);
  • Glass (clear, brown and green bottles and jars, rinsed).

What you can’t recycle:

  • Cling film bags, crisp bags or bubble wrap;
  • Hard plastic e.g. toys
  • Electrical items
  • Metallic wrapping paper or waxed paper
  • Mirrors, Pyrex glass orplate glass
  • Broken glass
  • Paint tins
  • Food covered items e.g. takeaway pizza boxes
  • Shredded paper