Introducing Shropshire's handy recycling calendar – that CAN'T be recycled
It tells you when and what you can recycle in Shropshire but it can't be be recycled – it sounds like a bad riddle but it is actually a calendar produced by the county's biggest waste collectors.
Households in Shrewsbury have been receiving the calendar in the past few weeks.
It outlines what can and cannot be recycled.
However, because the calendar is laminated it cannot actually be recycled itself.
The irony of the situation has been the talk of social media in the county after it was pointed out by prominent Shropshire Twitter user, Travel Tom.
He tweeted ".@ShropshireWaste say you can't recycle their Recycling Calendar as it's laminated!"
Veolia defended itself, saying practicalities meant that it was best to laminate the card even though that prevented it being recycled.
It said that the calendars had to be protected with a plastic covering to prevent them falling apart when they are left during collections.
Sarah Maythorne, Community Liaison Officer for Veolia said: "The reason for the laminated calendar is that the majority of calendars are left under bin lids.
"With the British weather being what it is they disintegrate very quickly if not laminated – and as they have to last residents a whole year they need to be made of a robust material.
"Waste and Resources Action Programme guidelines show that if we were to deliver the calendars through residents' letterboxes, the majority of people class the calendar as junk mail and throw it away.
"By putting it under residents' bin lids we can ensure the communication reaches the intended audience."
Homeowners across Shropshire will be able to recycle cardboard at the kerbside from this autumn as part of a new expansion of the recycling collection service launched by Shropshire Council and its waste contractor, Veolia.
It will mean that people can leave cardboard by the side of their bins for collection and will no longer need to separate cans, plastic and glass.
They will instead be mixed together in the new truck and then separated later at a materials recovery facility.
