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Residents of St Edmundsbury have cemented their position as some of the best recyclers in the country by maintaining a place in the national top ten.

Figures confirmed by Defra show that 50.03 percent of all waste created in the borough between 2006/07 was either composted or recycled, preventing it from ending up in a landfill site. The news means St Edmundsbury is still the best in Suffolk and eighth out of 393 authorities nationwide.

Cllr Peter Stevens, St Edmundsbury’s Cabinet member with responsibility for the environment, said:
“For the borough to come among the best in the country once more is absolutely terrific news, and I would like to thank all of our residents for all their magnificent efforts over the past year. Credit should also be given to everyone in our waste management team, who have shown huge dedication in spearheading the drive for us to recycle, reuse and compost.
“Everyone should be very proud of the fact that, between us, we have diverted more than half of all the waste we produce away from landfill. The three-bin system makes it easy for people to recycle and compost as much as possible and we’re delighted that everyone has embraced the idea so fully.”

A total of 47,783 tonnes of waste was collected in the borough last year. This includes recyclable and compostable waste, as well as rubbish from the black bin. Since the autumn, further initiatives have been introduced to make it easier for people to become even greener after a battery recycling trial was launched and blue sacks were made available to buy.

In the past, St Edmundsbury has been awarded Beacon Council status twice for dealing with waste, which means the borough is a nationally-recognised leader in this field.