EAT drink and be merry this Christmas – but don’t forget to recycle.

That’s the message from recycling company Recresco which is on track to sort a record 100,000 tonnes of container glass this year at its hi-tech processing plant thanks to green-minded householders and businesses across Dorset.

Around 23 staff at the site, where the workforce has doubled in size to meet demand, are gearing up for the busiest festive period yet.

Residents may not be aware that each tonne of recycled glass saves 315kg of climate-changing carbon dioxide.

Recresco director Eric Gent said: “We’re happy to raise a glass to Dorset Echo Greenwatch readers who have the good sense to recycle their empties over the festive holidays instead of chucking them away in the bin.

“We’re on for a record 100,000 tonnes this year, which is great for the environment. For every tonne recycled, 1.2 tonnes of raw materials, such as limestone, sand and rock minerals, are preserved.

“Put another way, one recycled glass bottle or jar can save enough energy to power a television for 90 minutes.”

Glass recycled at the bottle bank or through kerbside collections, along with 200 tonnes a month of commercial glass from local pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants, is taken to the company’s facility at Southampton docks.

Using the latest computer technology, the plant sorts out different colours of glass at up to 30 tonnes an hour, with a market-leading 99 per cent purity.

The glass is crushed and transported to either a bottle manufacturing factory in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, or to Spain and Portugal.

The plant deals with bottles and jars brought in under contract across Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex and Buckinghamshire.

According to industry figures, 752,000 tonnes of glass are recycled in the UK every year, with the Southampton facility supplying nearly 14 per cent.