Last updated at 22:00pm on 27th December 2006
Householders could be fined £1,000 if they recycle the piles of wrapping paper left over after Christmas.
Councils are warning residents not to recycle the decorative wrap torn off the presents.
One local authority is even spending £900 on three "bin bobbies" to work over the festive holidays.
They will rummage through the recycling to make sure families have not thrown away any wrapping paper.
Residents flouting the rules will receive a verbal warning, and persistent offenders face a £1,000 fine.
Gift paper is often coated with plastic or foil which makes it impossible to recycle.
Sticky tape, ribbons, bows and greeting cards are sometimes still attached, and these can damage recycling machines.
More than 500,000 households in Hampshire have been ordered to discard wrapping paper in the black bins used for normal rubbish.
But hundreds of thousands more across the country may have to obey the same rules, according to the Local Government Association which represents councils in England.
DailyMail
