The festive season always generates plenty of rubbish, here is a handy guide to what you should not be placing in your recycling bin.

1. Pizza boxes - They may be made of cardboard and you may even have brushed off the food crumbs. But paper that is stained with grease or food can not be recycled, including baking paper.

2. Crisp packets - They are shiny and look like foil, but they’re metallised plastic and are not recyclable. The scrunch test will confirm whether something is recyclable foil or not.

3. Glittery or metallic wrapping paper - Again, do the scrunch test and don’t put the ribbons in there either.

4. Tissue and kitchen roll - The cardboard tube is recyclable, but not the soiled tissue or sheets. Recycled paper needs to be clean.

5. Wallpaper/paintings - Recyclable paper cannot be paint-stained, and the colouring used on wallpaper means it cannot go into the recycling.

6. Wet wipes - Wet wipes, baby wipes, cosmetic wipes – they are not recyclable and they are not flushable either, whatever the packaging claims. Put them in the rubbish bin.

7. Polystyrene - This should not go in your recycling bin, although your council might accept it at a recycling centre.

8. Light bulbs - They’re a different glass to your jars and bottles, plus they contain metal. You can take energy efficient bulbs to most recycling centres, and the old style incandescent ones can go in the rubbish bin.

9. Batteries - These frequently find themselves in the recycling, when they shouldn’t even be in the general waste collection. They contain harmful metals that can seep into soil and water when put into landfill. Always take your batteries to a battery collection point – and consider switching to rechargeables.

10 Broken glass - It is recyclable, but dangerous, so don’t put it in your wheelie bin. If you can handle it safely, you can take it to a recycling centre but you may need to wrap it in newspaper and put it in the rubbish bin.