Bury’s recycling rate hits record high

Household recycling in Bury hit a record high of 64% in the month of June, new figures reveal.

This is the first time that the 60% goal has been surpassed - the previous best was 59.6% in July 2015.

In the main, this is due to residents putting more food waste into their brown recycling bins rather than their grey bins.

This followed an intensive food waste recycling campaign earlier this year. Some 2,211 tonnes of biowaste (food and garden mixed waste) were collected in June, the first time that the 2,000 tonne barrier has been breached in a single calendar month.

Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment, said: “This is a tremendous achievement by the people of Bury, many of whom are doing everything they can to recycle. While this is a one-off monthly figure, and will not represent the yearly average, it is a significant milestone. It shows that we are heading in the right direction and we all need to keep up the momentum.

“More and more people are putting the right stuff in the right bin. This is vital, especially when money is scarce. Every penny that we save through recycling is a penny less that we have to cut from other frontline services.”

There are a number of recycling road shows coming up:

• Tuesday 9 August – Peel Brow Play Area, Ramsbottom
• Tuesday 16 August - Victoria Park, Whitefield
• Tuesday 23 August - Hoyles Park, Bury
• Tuesday 30 August - St Mary’s Park, Prestwich

To find out more about recycling, request free recycling bins, check collection dates and sign up for e-mail reminders, visit www.bury.gov.uk/recycling.

ENDS

Press release issued: 8 August 2016.