Residents are being encouraged to seek out Warwickshire supermarket stores taking back thin plastic packaging such as bread bags and cereal liners.

More than 4,500 stores across the UK are participating in the ‘take back’ scheme which was launched last year.

The retailers supporting the scheme are Asda, The Co-operative Group, WM Morrison, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.

The products involved include plastic-wrapped bakery goods, breakfast cereal liners, packaging for household goods such as kitchen roll wrap, plastic-wrapped grocery produce – fresh and frozen – and multipack shrink wrap.

Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s cabinet member for Sustainable Communities and Chair of the Warwickshire Waste Partnership, said: “The average household gets through 25 kg of plastic film each year – that is nearly 5,700 tonnes in Warwickshire alone. Diverting just a fraction of this material from landfill would reduce oil use, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Warwickshire’s council tax payers would also save around £100 per tonne on landfill costs.”

In most instances, the in-store recycling points are located at larger stores and hypermarkets.

What types of plastic film are accepted?

Any low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film which is sometimes marked with a number 4.

What types of plastic film do they not accept?

•bubble wrap

•cling film

If you are unsure look out for the label on the packet which should say “recycle with your carrier bags at larger stores – not at the kerbside”.

What happens to the plastic film?

The supermarkets collect it at the front of the store and then they use “reverse haulage” so when new stock is delivered the empty truck takes away all their plastic wrapping. The plastic is recycled at a variety of UK re-processors who use it to make recycled plastic carrier bags and rubbish bags.

For advice and information on recycling other materials, visit Warwickshire’s A to Z of Recycling at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/azrecycling