A new Super Hero has burst onto the stage in Essex with the promise to take recycling into ‘stratospheric’ figures!

‘Bertie the Bottle’ - follow him on #Bertiethebottle - will be seen across the county to urge us all to recycle more, especially plastic, and will be on hand to give advice and make Essex the best in the UK.

Bertie is also offering free reusable shopping bags which will be available in your local library.

This means you can take Bertie wherever you go with his ‘Bag for Life’ and the best bit - he is saving you money because the 5p for every plastic carrier bag has now come into effect!

And to prove our Super Hero’s point each of Bertie’s bags are made from three recycled bottles!

Bertie said: “Hey folks did you know that in 2014 alone, 7.6 billion single-use plastic bags were handed out in England which is roughly 140 bags per person and the equivalent to 61,000 tonnes of plastic!

"Ouch! It is time for us to recycle and reuse and to get the excessive tonnes of plastic out of circulation.

"It’s good for us all and our planet and I am here to help you!”

Councillor Kevin Bentley, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth; Infrastructure; Waste and Recycling, said: “I’m a big fan of Bertie – he is my hero!

"He will be dashing across the county to spread the word and make Essex the recycling county in Britain and he is saving us all money as well as the environment with his new bags for life."

Keep up to date with Bertie the Bottle by following him on #bertiethebottle to find out interesting stories around the lifespan of plastics and what they can be transformed in to, and don’t forget to drop into your local library and ask for one of the reusable bags.

Bertie the Bottle’s message is clear: Recycle, reuse, minimise your waste!