FOOD could be rotting in bins for four weeks over Christmas while a council calls on householders to recycle more over the festive period to cut down on landfill. North Herts District Council suggests residents avoid excessive packaging when buying good

FOOD could be rotting in bins for four weeks over Christmas while a council calls on householders to recycle more over the festive period to cut down on landfill.

North Herts District Council suggests residents avoid excessive packaging when buying goods, take their cardboard to special collection points across the district between January 5 to 8, and their Christmas cards to W H Smith or M&S for recycling.

Brown bins are being suspended for a fortnight which the council says will enable rubbish crews to catch up with grey bins not picked up on holidays over the festive period.

This will mean food waste will not be collected for four weeks, angering one Hitchin resident, Chris Mackley of Wymondley Road, who said: "All the council's literature states a commitment to re-cycling, but at one of the highest waste-generating points of the year they decide to shut down the brown bins for two weeks. I don't believe that any 'customers' want to have food rotting in their brown bins for four weeks."

Lynda Needham, portfolio holder for waste and environment at the council, said: "Over Christmas last year 35 additional lorry loads of waste were created, all going to landfill. This was mainly food waste, cardboard and packaging, all of which can now be recycled in North Herts.

"I hope we can all enjoy ourselves over Christmas and still reduce our waste even more. This will help the environment and reduce the growing cost of waste."

For full details on rubbish collections and recycling points over the Christmas period go to www.north-herts.gov.uk