SOMERSET County Council is calling time on waste in urging football fans to recycle their tins and bottles after tomorrow's (Saturday) FA Cup final.

Around 40million glass bottles and aluminium drink cans are likely to be thrown away across the country by armchair viewers - amounting to around 4,500 tonnes.

By calling time on waste, fans should be able to recycle more of their food packaging, including paper and aluminium foil, leftover food waste and glass drink bottles and drinks cans.

* Glass bottles are 100% recyclable and can be endlessly recycled with no loss in quality.

* A can used during this year's FA Cup could be recycled into another can in just six to eight weeks which means that it could be transformed an amazing eight times by the time next year's Cup Final comes around if it was repeatedly recycled - or perhaps it could even be recycled into part of a new fridge, ideal for storing next year's drinks.

* Food waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings, eggshells, and teabags leftover from those half time snacks can be put into a compost bin - and transformed into garden compost.

* Residents who live in the SORT IT! areas can use their food waste collection service to get their food waste composted.

Glass bottles, drinks cans and paper can be easily recycled through the kerbside recycling scheme, or at one of the mini recycling centres throughout Somerset.

Cllr Hazel Prior-Sankey, incharge transport and waste at the county council, said: "Many people in Somerset will be watching the match on Saturday and entering into the party spirit.

"Unfortunately this could lead to a lot more rubbish being thrown away so it's really important that residents tackle this problem by either using their local kerbside recycling service, or by taking their empties to the nearest recycling bank.

"The vast majority of our household bin contents can be recycled and recycling is getting easier all the time, so it's time to show your bin the red card and start recycling your rubbish!"

For more information on waste and recycling in Somerset, contact Somerset County Council on 0845-3459188 or click on the link below.