HOW green are you – and could you be more environmentally-friendly?That's the challenge being issued to Suffolk Coastal residents, who are being urged to take a good look at their lives and see how they can help the planet.

By Richard Cornwell

HOW green are you – and could you be more environmentally-friendly?

That's the challenge being issued to Suffolk Coastal residents, who are being urged to take a look at their lives and see how they can help the planet.

People in Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Martlesham, Kesgrave, and the Trimleys, are being encouraged to cut down on junk mail, buy goods with less packaging, and recycle more items.

"Suffolk Coastal residents have a good recycling record, but we still need to look at other ways of reducing the amount of rubbish that ends up in our landfill sites," said Chris Slemmings cabinet member for the environment.

"Packaging is a major source of waste but by changing our shopping habits we can help to minimise this.

"Food can be bought loose rather than pre-packed and buying in bulk, avoiding heavily packed goods and using refillable containers all helps."

Junk mail can be cut by registering with the Mail Preference Service at Freepost 22, London W1E 7EZ, telephone helpline 0845 703 4599, or visiting their website: www.mpsonline.org.uk

This will ensure unsolicited leaflets, flyers, and promotional offers are not delivered.

The district has more than 130 recycling sites where materials such as paper, cardboard, textiles, food and drinks cans, aerosol cans and glass bottles can be taken for recycling.

The county council also runs recycling centres which also deals with green waste and plastic bottles.

Suffolk Coastal currently has kerbside collection schemes for paper for 80 per cent of the district's homes as well as collections of cans and textiles for about 40pc of households.

WEBLINK

www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/envhealth/recycleinfo