DRINKS mats with a difference are currently adorning many West Devon pubs and clubs. The brightly coloured mats feature a series of jokes and ?Rubbish facts? about recycling. At Christmas we produce more rubbish than at any other time of the year so while people are raising a festive glass or two, it?s a good chance for West Devon Borough Council to be raising awareness of the problems of waste. Recycling officer Jane Savage explains: ?We thought the mats would be a cheap and cheerful way of engaging the public to think about the rubbish we produce and hopefully persuade them to cut down. ?Last year, West Devon residents threw away over 20% more than usual during the festive season and all this additional waste ended up in landfill sites.? However, Jane points out that the good news is it does not have to be this way as about two thirds of household waste can be recycled. ?There are many easy and painless ways to reduce, re-use and recycle. Here are a few top seasonal tips: 1. Buy gifts with little or no packaging, such as theatre and cinema tickets 2. Avoid gifts that use disposable batteries, or consider re-chargeable or solar batteries which are much cheaper in the long run 3. Make use of your kerbside recycling box for paper, card, glass bottles and jars, and cans including aerosols 4. Remember toys, CDs, books, shoes and textiles can all be recycled at charity shops or in the many banks around the borough 5. Please don?t put wrapping paper, Christmas cards or envelopes into the box as these cause problems with our particular recycling process 6. Christmas cards, of which a massive one billion could end up in rubbish bins, can be taken to W H Smith and Tesco stores to support the Woodland Trust 7. And finally.... Make a New Year?s resolution you can keep this year ?recycle more stuff, more often.?
