TEA lovers are being urged to recycle their tea bags as part of a recycling push.

Chelmsford Council and Brentwood Council have teamed up with consumer-goods company Unilever to encourage residents to go green when having a brew.

The PG tips Monkey is fronting the campaign and asking tea lovers to recycle their tea bags by disposing of them in their food waste caddies.

The campaign comes after weekly food waste recycling collections were launched in Chelmsford and Brentwood in December.

In Chelmsford last year, households reduced what they threw away in their black bin by nearly 2,600 tonnes, compared to the previous year, saving more than £166,000 in landfill tax.

Janette Potter, Chelmsford councillor responsible for waste management and recycling, said: “Since the launch of the council’s weekly food waste recycling scheme we’ve been able to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill considerably.

“We’re very pleased to be working with such a prominent company as Unilever to get the message out that small actions, like recycling your tea bags, can have a big effect and make for a greener city.”

To find out more, visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/foodwaste