Milton Keynes residents are the tops for recycling

MK Council is thanking its environmental-conscious residents after the city has jumped 52 places to become one of the biggest recycling successes in the UK.

MK is now in the top four per cent of 346 UK councils whose recycling rates are ranked by the Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) every year.

And it is the number one recycler of all councils who still run weekly waste collections.

MK households have helped the council reach a recycling rate of 59 per cent in 2018/19, up from 52 per cent from the previous year. In comparison, the overall UK recycling rate was almost unchanged year to year.

Milton Keynes was the first place in the country to introduce kerbside recycling 18 years ago, and the first to build its own in-borough recycling plant.

Last year it announced ambitious plans to become the first carbon negative city by 2050, as well as a living showcase for how climate change can be tackled through biodiversity, with an ambitious end goal to become one of the greenest cities in the world.

The council is attributing the strong performance to high commitment to recycling locally, as well as improvements at its waste recovery park.

MK’s clear sack recyclables go to the Recycling Factory in Old Wolverton, which processes 16 tonnes of waste every hour. Recyclable materials are sorted by type then sent to suppliers to be broken down into smaller parts to be manufactured into new goods

Councillor Emily Darlington, MK Council’s Cabinet member for public realm, said: “It’s heartening to see MK’s success in the recycling league table. Our ambition is to be the Greenest City.

"This is recognition of our residents recycling well at home and MK’s recycling systems and processes. I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone. Let’s keep up the great work and continue to REUSE - REDUCE - RECYCLE.”