Bath & North East Somerset Council are reporting a rise in the amount of waste recycled following changes to collections introduced by the council last year.

Residents are said to be recycling much more, and as a consequence, less waste is being sent to landfill. Kerbside recycling has increased by almost a fifth, with an additional 3,500 tonnes collected over the past twelve months – the equivalent weight of 820 African elephants.

The amount of food waste recycled has almost doubled, with 6,748 tonnes collected by the council’s recycling teams – the equivalent weight of 375 double decker buses.

While recycling rates have increased, the amount of black bag rubbish collected has dropped by thirty per cent. That means 8,198 fewer tonnes of rubbish has been sent to landfill.

The latest figures were welcomed by Cllr Bob Goodman, Cabinet Member for Development and Neighbourhoods: “It’s fantastic to see such a big increase in the amount of waste local people are recycling, because one of the reasons we made changes to our rubbish collection services was to increase recycling rates.

“I’d to thank residents for embracing recycling and doing their bit for the environment, helping us move towards our goal of becoming the first local authority in the country to achieve zero waste.”

The council runs a garden waste service fortnightly on a chargeable basis.

For more information on rubbish and recycling collections, and how you can make a difference, visit: www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/bins-rubbish-and-recycling