Rochford residents are being urged to be environmentally-friendly during the festive period.

Most households are left with huge piles of Christmas cards, wrapping paper, Christmas trees and tin cans at the start of the new year and environment bosses at Rochford District Council are asking people to recycle as much as they can.

If you are part of the council's kerbside recycling collection round, old Christmas cards and wrapping paper can be placed in the blue box for recycling.

Anyone who is not part of the scheme can still recycle their old cards by dropping them off at the council's reception areas in South Street, Rochford, and the Civic Suite, in Hockley Road, Rayleigh.

The recycling bug has already been caught by schools in the area, much to the council's delight. A council spokesman said: "We have had a fantastic response from schools in the district who have also been encouraged to collect Christmas cards for recycling."

Published Thursday December 27, 2001