WASTE chiefs from across the UK were in Ely on Thursday to learn how Cambridgeshire and Peterborough councils are keeping rubbish out of the ground. Around 20 different authorities from across the country attended the day at The Maltings to find out more

WASTE chiefs from across the UK were in Ely on Thursday to learn how Cambridgeshire and Peterborough councils are keeping rubbish out of the ground.

Around 20 different authorities from across the country attended the day at The Maltings to find out more about how the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership is achieving high recycling rates.

The day included workshops, site visits and an activity called 'speed mentoring'. This saw delegates 'date' different partnership officers for five minutes at a time to find out if they could learn from their experiences and look to develop a longer term business relationship with a member of the partnership.

This open day was an essential event as part of the awarded Beacon Status, given to the partnership earlier this year for its excellent waste management and recycling services, as well as its work with the community sector.

Cambridgeshire councils already recycle more than 50 per cent of their waste as figures revealed for the first quarter of the year - the average in England is 23 per cent.

The partnership will build on the success of the open day and get ready for further visits from other councils in the country interested in learning from the partnership's best practice.

Eleanor Pasfield, Beacon co-ordinator for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership, said: "We were delighted to have the opportunity to share our experiences with other local authorities in the UK and we intend to hold more activities in the future to communicate our ways of working. The open day gave delegates the opportunity to see how we work in partnership to meet targets and also identify areas they would like to find out more about through future visits and mentoring.