East Cambridgeshire District Council is one of the top-performing local authorities in the country when it comes to recycling household waste.

Figures released by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs show that 56.6% of waste was sent for reuse, recycling or composting the year ending March 2021.

This is a one per cent increase on the previous year and puts East Cambridgeshire in the top 25 local authorities in England, highlighting the council’s strong commitment to a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire.

Since the introduction of wheeled bin recycling services in 2013, the district’s recycling percentage has increased from 33.4% (2012/13) to 56.6% (2020/21). Of 320 councils responsible for waste collections in England, East Cambridgeshire has moved from 257th to 25th position in the recycling league table.

Cllr Julia Huffer, Chair of the Operational Services Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “The improvement in our recycling rates since the introduction of our wheeled bin recycling service in 2013 has been nothing short of astonishing.

“From a low recycling rate we are now pushing towards our target of 60%.

“We must say a huge thank you to our residents. However, we know we cannot be complacent and will continue to promote and encourage people to recycle with the help of our recycling champion Michael Recycle.”
    
The wheeled bin recycling service involves:

• A blue lidded wheeled bin recycling collection, including paper, glass, food and drinks cans, plastic bottles and hard plastic food containers, cartons and cardboard. This is collected fortnightly.
• A green lidded wheeled bin collection for garden and food waste. This is also collected fortnightly.
• Refuse in black sacks is collected weekly

For more information on the waste and recycling service in East Cambridgeshire please call 01353 665555.