A toy's sad end has sparked an impassioned plea from a bin man for parents to recycle more.

The once-loved cuddly unicorn was set to end its days in landfill, despite being placed in a recycling bin in King's Lynn.

One West Norfolk waste worker tweeted: "Another sad end to a beloved toy, wrongly put in the recycling bin. It could have been sent to a new home at a recycling centre or charity shop. We can't recycle toys not even unicorns."

Pre-loved toys can bring delight to other children. The waste worker added: "I got most of my daughter's Barbie dolls from charity shops and that is where Barbie and Ken went after she grew out of them. "Puzzles books always welcome at a charity shop, just wipe them clean first. The Wii when it stops working can be taken to the recycling centres across Norfolk like all electronic devices such as walkie talkies or anything with a battery once broken contains valuable rare metals, retailers also have take back schemes.

"I just sold two of my children's old bicycles on Facebook and used the money to buy a pre-owned pool table. The now unloved Lego is also quite valuable boxed or unboxed it can be sold by the kilo on eBay. Soft toys need a wash then tumble dry with a couple of tennis balls, brings them up a treat."