Another empty sweet tin goes into the recycling bin at Safeway. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0694411)

RECYCLING fever struck the island during the Christmas holiday period.

Many of the bring banks were overflowing yesterday despite the best efforts of contractors to keep them clear.

Mayside Recycling director Tommy Duquemin said his staff had cleared each site of paper, cardboard and plastic bottles three times on Christmas Eve.

‘There’s supposed to be a credit crunch on, but you wouldn’t think so and people have still been hard at it,’ he said.

A bin at the Chouet site was half filled with material in the time it took a lorry driver to take a full one back to the company’s La Hure Mare depot, empty it and take it back.

Staff changed their hours and worked from 6am to 5pm from Monday until Christmas Eve. Mr Duquemin said they would be out again today and tomorrow.

Some 90 tonnes of paper, 50 of cardboard and three of plastic bottles were collected during the week.