East Cambridgeshire: Recycling Rates Rise

28 January 2014, 11:04 | Updated: 28 January 2014, 11:16

The recycling rate in East Cambridgeshire, previously the lowest in the county, has risen by 20% following the introduction of wheelie bins.

Between October and December 2012, 2,293 tonnes of the area's rubbish was recycled.

During the same period in 2013, after wheelie bins were introduced, this had risen to around 3,864 tonnes.

That works out at 54% of East Cambridgeshire's rubbish being sent for recycling.

Feedback to the District Council obtained since the roll out of the new services also suggests residents believe they are recycling more since they received their wheelie bins.

83% of respondents said they were recycling more with their blue bins, while 57 % said they were recycling more garden and food waste in green ones.

Councillor Richard Hobbs, Chairman of Community and Environment Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "I would like to thank everyone in the district for their recycling efforts over the last three months. 

We thought our recycling rate would increase with the introduction of wheelie bins but I don¹t think any of us expected such an instant and dramatic change.

Such a significant improvement is testament to the hard work and planning which went into the roll out of the new service.

However, we know we cannot be complacent and we have plans to keep promoting the recycling message over the coming months. 

We will be going to primary schools as well as holding roadshows in market towns to explain how the new service works and how residents can recycle more. 

We have made an excellent start and I am sure as we move forward we can do even more to raise our recycling levels further."