NESTLÉ is urging York residents not to throw away the foil from their Easter eggs but to recycle them to help a local charity.

The confectionery giant has joined forces with The Snappy Trust York, which is dedicated to empowering children and young people with disabilities, in an aluminium foil recycling scheme.

Used egg foil can be left at one of seven convenient locations across the city, so it can be sold for recycling with the proceeds going towards the charity.

"Any type of foil, including kitchen foil, Easter egg foil, foil trays from takeaways or ready meals, even KitKat 2 finger foil will be accepted – all the charity asks is that it’s clean," said a spokeswoman.

Foil for Snappy coordinator Karen Nash said Nestlé had provided funding so it could upgrade its collection bins to proper foil recycling facilities.

Alison Bramfitt, Nestle UK group packaging manager, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this wonderful cause in York and want to encourage as many people as possible to save up loads of chocolate egg foil this Easter."

She said it was easy to tell what could be recycled by using a simple scrunch test.

"Roll the foil in your hands, does it stay scrunched?" she said. "If so it can be recycled. If it springs back, it's film and cannot be accepted.”

*The bins are at Sainsbury's Monks Cross, Asda Monks Cross, Sainsbury's Foss Bank, Co-op Food Haxby, Morrisons Acomb, Nunnery Lane Car Park and York Designer Outlet.