TETRA packing and aluminium foil are unlikely to be recycled through Dorset’s kerbside scheme for the foreseeable future.

It will mean residents continuing to take the materials to special collection points if they want to recycle.

The question about why the county does not recycle either was asked at a council meeting by Cllr Maria Roe: “One of the biggest benefits of Tetra Pak is that it is completely recyclable. Most councils accept Tetra Pak with their kerbside collection.

“Aluminium foil and foil trays are also collected at the kerbside by 86% of councils …yet in Dorset this waste is either sent to landfill or people have to drive to a recycling centre or recycle bank to dispose of it - which if you live in a village can be some distance. Why can’t Dorset Council include this waste in its kerbside collection?,” she asked.

Portfolio holder for customer and community services Cllr Jill Haynes said both items needed special sorting equipment for recycling to separate materials which the council did not have access to. The council’s contracted materials recycling facility is unable to separate cartons and foil from other materials for recycling, though technologies in sorting facilities are being developed. Meanwhile the council maintains banks for cartons and foil in car parks and at the network of Household Recycling Centres,” she said.