Halton Council spent £7million dealing with the waste last year, latest figures reveal.

An increasing chunk of this is spent on disposing items that have been incorrectly recycled.

Figures show that in  2017/18, 16 per cent of materials collected in recycling bins were  sent for disposal due to it being either non-recyclable waste or a material type that is recyclable but not through the council’s kerbside service.

The council said the cost of dealing with this waste is around £138, 000 - more than double the costs incurred in 2016/2017, when they spent £64,000 disposing of eight per cent of material wrongly placed in blue recycling bins.

The council said that this year they will spend an estimated £3.7 million  on disposing of general rubbish and plan to launch an awareness raising campaign to encourage people to recycle.

Jimmy Unsworth, the council’s environment officer said that campaign would also focus on educating people on what they can and can’t recycle.

He said the council would be issuing an informative booklet that would include key messages.

The financial benefits of recycling and how the money saved from reduced disposal costs can be spent on more important services for the community.

Residents are being encouraged to think about the amount of waste they produce and reduce it as much as possible.

People are urged to use of all of the recycling services and facilities provided by the council to recycle as much as possible of what they do produce.

Information on what can and cannot be recycled in blue bins will be made clearer.

The council says it will only be successful in reducing the costs of dealing with waste if it has the support and co-operation of residents.