RESIDENTS have been praised by the council for their commitment to recycling following the release of new statistics.

It comes after news that the proportion of household waste sent for recycling in Warrington increased last year, new figures show.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures show 88,675 tonnes of waste were collected and disposed by Warrington Borough Council in the year to March 2023.

Of this, about 39,197 tonnes were sent for reuse, recycling or composting – meaning the area had a recycling rate of 44.2 per cent.

It was up from the year before when 42.1 per cent of household waste was sent for recycling.

Yet across England, the recycling rate fell – from 42.5 per cent in 2021-22 to 41.7 per cent last year.

All regions had decreases in their recycling rates, except for London which saw no change.

In Warrington, Cllr John Kerr-Brown, the council’s cabinet member for environment and public protection, said: “The rise in the recycling rate can be credited to residents taking more time to recycle at home and taking increased responsibility for the separation of waste.

“Our bin crews have also been speaking to residents at the roadside and advising on better recycling techniques, which is clearly being taken on board.

“Our blue bins in particular are also being checked more frequently to ensure that contaminated recycling can be reduced as much as possible.

“The reduction in residual waste per household could be due to a reduction in home working as residents return to offices and recycle more.

“These figures are great news for Warrington, and we would be very grateful if residents could continue to double-check what they put in their bins.

“Let’s keep doing our bit to improve our recycling rates.”

For more information on bin collections and what you can put in your bins, visit warrington.gov.uk/bins

Overall, total local authority managed waste in England decreased by six per cent to 24.5million tonnes in the recent year.

The figures also show the estimated household waste fell from 417.2 kilograms per person in 2021-22 to 390.2 kilograms last year.

In Warrington, about 412 kilograms of household waste was recorded per person last year – down from 442.2 kilograms in 2021-22.

Environment minister Robbie Moore said: "Reducing waste and increasing recycling is crucial for protecting our environment for future generations.

"Overall, the amount of waste from households has gone down, but recycling rates have also fallen slightly this year.

"We know there is more to do, and that is why we are pushing forward with plans for a new, simpler common-sense approach to recycling – making recycling easier for everyone across the country."