East Cambridgeshire has risen in the recycling ranks, beating all other local authorities in Cambridgeshire for 2019/20.

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The district has risen from 38th to 27th out of 341 local authorities across the country, according to annual data published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

East Cambs Councillor David Ambrose Smith, chairman of the operational services committee, said: “Our improving recycling rate and position nationally is a testament to all of the hard work being undertaken by our residents.

“We are incredibly proud of this position however, we must not rest on our laurels and we will continue to strive for a higher recycling rate of 65% which is set out in our 2020-23 corporate plan.”

Ely Standard: Community group Eco Ely raising awareness of environmental issues, sustainability, and recycling. They are pictured at Ely Market Place in September 2019.Community group Eco Ely raising awareness of environmental issues, sustainability, and recycling. They are pictured at Ely Market Place in September 2019. (Image: CLARE BUTLER)

Compared with DEFRA’s figures from 2010/11, the district has seen its recycling rate increase by more than 20 per cent, up from 37.3 per cent to 56.5 per cent.

Black sack waste has also reduced by 134.1kg, from 502.3kg to 368.2kg per household.

Councillor Julia Huffer, member champion for waste and recycling, said: “This is a great achievement for East Cambridgeshire and one that every resident should be proud of as it is their daily efforts that secured us these amazing results.

“More and more of us take our responsibility for looking after the environment very seriously and, as a council, will we continue support our residents’ ambitions to reduce waste and recycle more which will help us progress to a greener future.”

The overall household recycling rate 2019/20 for England is 45.5 per cent.
The findings from the DEFRA report can be found on gov.uk.