A MISPRINT in Basingstoke council's mass circulation Refuse News has thrown a spanner in the works of the council's campaign to increase its level of recycling.

Under new Government rules, Basingstoke, which recycles only 10 per cent of its refuse at present, must raise this to 20 per cent by next year and 30 per cent by 2003.

A total of 20,000 households have been given new bigger recycling bins and the whole of the population in the borough has been urged to recycle.

But instructions in Refuse News - 61,000 of which have been delivered to residents - tells people not to recycle seven items that are recyclable!

On page three under the heading 'What can I recycle', it lists mixed paper. It goes on: "Mixed paper includes the following: newspapers, magazines, catalogues, telephone directories (not Yellow Pages, brochures, junk mail, office paper, white and brown envelopes, egg boxes and cereal packets (not the plastic inner)."

Confusion has arisen among some householders because this appears to be saying that brochures, junk mail, office paper and the rest of the list, along with Yellow Pages are not recyclable.

But the bracket that starts before Yellow Pages is never ended before another bracket starts.

A sharp-eyed Gazette reader pointed out: "If there should be another bracket after Yellow Pages, that means that brochures, junk mail, office paper, eggs boxes etc should be recycled. But if we go by the instructions in Refuse News they won't be recycled at present."

A council spokesman said: "Unfortunately there was a typographical error in the list of what can be recycled on page three of Refuse News.

"The omission of a closed bracket after 'not Yellow Pages' has understandably caused some confusion. We can confirm all those items after Yellow Pages are recyclable."