WREXHAM Council are urging its residents to remember to recycle this weekend if they plan to have a barbeque.

The Met Office has forecasted temperatures up to 26 degrees over the weekend, and with summer drawing to a close, this could be a lot of people’s last chance this year to get the barbeque out.

As a result, Wrexham Council are asking people to remember that many items used at a barbeque can be recycled.

A statement on the council website reads: “In warm weather, having friends or family round and cooking food on a barbecue has become a big part of what we do. It’s estimated that around 135 million barbecues took place in the UK last year, and in Wrexham we’ll have played our part in this figure.

“It’s good to hear we’re enjoying spending time outside, which is great for wellbeing, but are we thinking about recycling as much as we should? Perhaps not.

“For starters, all uneaten food can be recycled. A good tip is to take your caddy outside and pop any bones and leftovers in as you go along. It makes cleaning up afterwards much easier, just make sure you keep the lid shut when you’re not using it to avoid any pesky flies.

“Also, do you use wooden skewers for your kebabs? Because something you mightn’t know is that these can be recycled as food waste in your caddy, as can all wooden cutlery.

“Whether you’re cooking for two people or 20 people, with barbecues there’s usually a lot of plastic meat trays involved, and don’t forget, in Wrexham all plastic meat trays can be recycled at the kerbside.

“Just make sure there’s no food residue on them when you recycle them, this is very important. It doesn’t take long – a quick rinse or wash in used dishwater usually does the trick – and this means it gets recycled into a much better-quality product.

“We see why these can be appealing to some people, but they contribute massively to the throwaway culture that’s threatening the environment.

“Having a reusable barbecue works out much cheaper in the long run. Reusable barbecues can last for several years, and when the time eventually comes to say goodbye to your trusty old grill, you can still recycle it as scrap metal at any of the three recycling centres in Wrexham.

“If you do use a disposable barbecue, you must make sure it’s fully cooled down and all the ashes have burnt out before putting it in the bin.

“These are reusable, but if you do want to dispose of any canisters, please bring them to any of our three recycling centres. Do not under any circumstances try to put these in your black bin waste, as this will cause a fire risk at our recycling centre.

“As always, thanks for recycling and doing your bit for Wrexham.”

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “When it’s warm and the sun’s shining, many of us in Wrexham like to cook and eat our food outside, but just because food is cooked and eaten outside, this doesn’t mean we should treat it or its packaging any differently.

“We’re asking people to be mindful that there’s still lots of things that can be recycled.”