PEOPLE in Comet country are being urged to watch their waste this week in a bid to slim down the amount of rubbish thrown away. It is European Waste Reduction week and North Herts District Council (NHDC) is helping to spread the word. Recycling officers w

PEOPLE in Comet country are being urged to watch their waste this week in a bid to slim down the amount of rubbish thrown away.

It is European Waste Reduction week and North Herts District Council (NHDC) is helping to spread the word.

Recycling officers will in local supermarkets during the week to advise how consumers can help to influence the amount of waste they throw away by thinking about the kind of items they buy.

The team will raise awareness of best before/use by dates on products to help reduce food wastage and the recyclability of different packaging.

The recycling team will be at Sainsbury's in Hitchin tomorrow (Tuesday) from 10am to 2pm, Waitrose in Hitchin the same day from 3 to 6pm, Morrison's in Letchworth GC on Wednesday from 11am to 3pm and Tesco in Baldock on Thursday from 11am to 2pm.

The council is also promoting a waste-free lunch week within schools in the district over Waste Reduction Week.

As part of this, children are encouraged to take in packed lunches which create little or no waste.

Easy changes like using a re-usable tub to contain sandwiches will remove the need for clingfilm or foil and using a re-usable bottle will help to cut down on the millions of plastic bottles and cartons that are thrown away every day.

Waste-free lunches can often save people money, say the council, as they are not buying expensive pre-packaged items.

For more information on how you can reduce your waste, visit www.north-herts.gov.uk under waste reduction.

Vaughan Watson, NHDC's head of leisure and environmental services, said: "North Herts residents have made tremendous strides in recent years in better recycling and now we can make even more progress by cutting back the amount of waste we create in the first place. This protects our environment and reduces the growing cost of waste.