City of York Council is hosting a series of mini road shows to demonstrate how rubbish is transformed through the recycling process.

The road shows have been organised to mark Recycle Now Week, which takes place between 4 and 8 June. The theme for this year's event is 'transforming rubbish' and the council's waste strategy unit will be taking to the streets of York to give residents an opportunity to see some of the things that are made from recycled materials.

Examples of how rubbish is transformed include:

- The paper that York residents place into the city's recycling banks could be turned back into new newspaper in just seven days.
- One adult-sized fleece can be made from 25 two-litre plastic drink bottles.
- Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a computer for 20 minutes.
- Recycling one aluminium can requires only five per cent of the energy it takes to make new aluminium and produces only five per cent of the CO2 emissions.
- Every steel can is 100 per cent recyclable. They can be recycled over and over again into products like bicycles and, of course, new cans.

Last year the council recycled or composted a quarter of all of the waste produced in York and, this year, this has increased to 39 per cent. This is due to the fantastic efforts of local residents, who have embraced the enhanced kerbside recycling and garden waste collections.

It has also enabled the council to exceed government-set targets aimed at reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill sites, avoiding heavy fines of £150 per tonne for sending too much biodegradable waste to landfill sites.

You can catch up with the waste strategy team on the following dates:

- Wednesday 6 June from 10am until 12.30pm - Front Street, Acomb
- Wednesday 6 June from 1.30pm until 4.30pm - B&Q warehouse on Hull Road
- Thursday 7 June from 10am until 4pm - Asda at Monks Cross

Elizabeth Wray, waste service project officer for the council, said: "We thought it would be interesting for people to see what the items that they put out for collection in their kerbside recycling bags and boxes are transformed in to. The road shows will help people to understand the process and see some of the end products."

The first ten residents to attend each event will receive a free reusable jute shopping bag, and all those who attend will have the opportunity to enter a free prize draw to win a basket of recycling-themed prizes.

For more information about how to reduce, reuse and recycle in York, call 01904 551551 or visit www.york.gov.uk