KIRKLEES residents are being asked to make recycling their New Year's resolution.

Kirklees Mayor Clr Barbara Allonby launched the new recycling campaign yesterday at Sainsbury's Shore Head store.

The `Bank It' campaign, run in conjunction with Sainsbury's, aims to encourage people to recycle more glass.

Large red campaign posters have been put up around the area with the `bank it' logo and the slogan `make it a rubbish year' to remind people of the need to recycle.

Clr Allonby met 'bank it' mascot Jenny Jar when she launched the campaign at Shore Head.

Clr Allonby told shoppers now is the perfect time to start recycling.

She said: "We already recycle more than six million glass bottles and jars in Kirklees through 130 recycling sites. However, this is still a small proportion of the glass we use in our homes. In particular, over the festive season we produce 30% more glass.

"I would like to encourage all Kirklees residents to make a New Year's resolution to recycle more rubbish. I would also like to encourage existing recyclers to recycle their jars as well as their bottles.

"Simply remove the lids, rinse out your jars and take them to your nearest glass bank site."

Kirklees Environmental Services staff are asking people not to use glass recycling banks at night or in the early morning as it disturbs residents.

They are also appealing for people to make sure all glass goes into the banks, not on the ground where it could be a hazard.

They say boxes and bags used to carry bottles should be taken home, not dumped on the glass bank site.

Environmental groups also advise people driving to recycling sites to do so as part of an existing journey - making a special car journey to the glass bank uses more energy than the recycling saves.

The energy saved by recycling one bottle is said to power a 100-watt light bulb for one hour or a colour TV for 20 minutes.

Other benefits of glass recycling include a 19% reduction in emissions from glass production, cuts in waste collection and disposal costs and a reduction in the amount of rubbish in landfill sites.