SNACK lovers have been recycling crisp packets and biscuit wrappers in return for cash donations to help rescue animals.

Oxford City Council’s contracting arm Oxford Direct Services has been collecting pieces of rubbish including baby food pouches – which are usually non-recyclable in the city’s blue bins – from staff members.

But recycling company TerraCycle can collect and recycle wrappers like these, in exchange for cash donations to charities.

ODS chose to donate towards the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary, and has raised £450 so far.

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Oxford resident's can also donate their crisp packets and similar pieces of rubbish at drop off points in the city to help raise more money for the sanctuary.

There is no need to clean the packets before dropping them off as they are cleaned as part of the recycling process -- but there should not be any whole crisps left inside.

TerraCycle's different scheme can be found on its website: terracycle.com

There is not one individual drop off bin which covers crisps, biscuits, and baby food pouches. Instead each of these has its own 'stream'.

According to a map on the TerraCycle website, there are currently two sites in Oxford where Walkers crisps packets can be recycle for example: Cheney School and County Hall.

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And for baby food, a brand called Ella's Kitchen can be recycled at John Henry Newman Academy in Littlemore.

Meanwhile the current nearest McVities biscuit wrapper recycling boxes are in Standlake and Bicester.

Usually all three 'streams' could be recycled at ODS's depot at Marsh Road.

Nigel Chapman, the city council's cabinet member for customer focused services said: "Oxford residents can't recycle crisp packets in their blue bins, but this initiative has shown that they are they willing to recycle them rather than see them go into the general rubbish."