DARTFORD residents have been told in a new campaign that “metal matters” and encouraged to recycle more.

Leaflets have been distributed throughout the borough encouraging people to recycle more cans, tins, aerosols and foil.

Dartford Council has told residents in the campaign that recycling saves energy, cuts carbon emissions and costs to taxpayers.

This is because it is expensive and environmentally harmful to keep creating new items while collecting and landfilling others.

Many metals can be used multiple times for different purposes, the campaign says.

Councillor Tony Martin, deputy leader of the council, said: “Recycling one tonne of aluminium saves nine tonnes of CO2 emissions which is the equivalent of driving nearly 3000 miles.

“Every tonne of recycled steel saves half a tonne of coal and uses only a quarter of the energy.”

He added: “We are pleased to support the metal recycling campaign.”

Resource management minister, Lord de Mauley, said: “Increasing the amount of metal packaging we collect through kerbside recycling will also enable councils in Kent to keep down the cost of waste collections to the rate payer.

“I hope this new campaign will encourage a better understanding of the need for all households to recycle more often and I urge Kent residents to make their metals matter.”