Forest of Dean District Council is joining forces with Recycle Now, the national campaign behind Recycle Week (25 September - 1 October), to help turn empty plastic containers into clothes.

The focus is on items from the bathroom and bedroom with new research finding that nearly half (49%) of the UK population admit to not always recycling their aerosols - including deodorants, shaving foam and hairspray.

Aerosols can be recycled again and again without any loss of quality. They may be made into parts for mobile phones, dishwashers or even turn up as another aerosol can.

Recycle Now has calculated that if every household in the Forest of Dean recycled just one more aerosol, enough energy would be saved to power a typical primary school for 5 weeks.

Councillor Sue Coakley, Chair of Gloucestershire's Joint Waste Committee said: 'We are delighted to be supporting this year's Recycle Week and it's not just aerosols which are being forgotten about.

"Items such as glass bottles for perfume and aftershave, plastic bottles for shampoo, hair conditioner and shower gel, as well as cardboard toilet roll inners and toothpaste boxes often get overlooked when it comes to recycling in the home.'

'All of these items can be recycled to create new products so we're asking everyone to rethink their normal morning and bed-time routines to make sure they recycle their bathroom packaging. Recycling just a few more items can make a big difference - and the bathroom is a good place to start.'

'While almost 90% of packaging is recycled in our kitchens, just over half (52%) of items are recycled from the bathroom.

Councillor Chris McFarling, Cabinet Member for the Environment at the Forest of Dean District Council said: 'We want residents to recycle everything they can, every time they can. We are asking everyone to take a moment to stop and think before they bin their bathroom rubbish and check whether it can be recycled first.

The Forest of Dean District Council offers a weekly kerbside recycling service which accepts all plastic bottles, glass, card and aerosols - including those found in the bathroom and bedroom - so recycling these items really is easy.'

Recycled items can be made into new products in a matter of days or weeks. Plastic bottles - such as those used for mouthwash, shampoo and liquid soap - can be turned into football shirts or fleece jumpers while card from toothpaste and tissue boxes can be made into new cardboard packaging for the food sector.

Cleaning product bottles including empty bleach bottles, toilet cleaners and trigger spray surface cleaners (with trigger removed) can also get ignored but can all go on to be recycled into something new.

For more details about recycling visit www.fdean.gov.uk

Picture: Cllr Chris McFarling awash with items ready for recycling.