East Devon residents have been crowned the recycling champions of the county as the latest Devon-wide statistics for 2018/19 show they now recycle an astonishing 59% of their waste.

Annual figures from Devon County Council, indicate that the district's recycling rate has increased by 5% in just 12 months, and by more than 13% over two years. East Devon is now among the best recycling districts in England, and could make it into the top 20 best recycling authorities out of 351 local authorities nationally if recycling participation remains high.

The council's 70,000 households are also on course to hold the recycling crown for some time to come as they have consistently recycled 62% of their waste at the kerbside for the last three months.

As well as being great at recycling, East Devon residents also throw away less waste than most other areas of the country. Resource Magazine's annual figures for England show that each person in East Devon produces 126.8 kg of waste every year – the second lowest in the country. This is a credit to residents, who are not only participating fully in our weekly recycling service, but clearly making purchasing choices to refuse, reduce and re-use the items that end up as waste.

Cllr Geoff Jung, East Devon District Council's portfolio holder for the environment, praised the efforts of East Devon residents. He said: "It's brilliant news that our residents are the top recycling performers in Devon and they thoroughly deserve this accolade as they show their commitment to recycling their waste week in, week out."

"Huge credit must go to all involved, including our recycling team, councillors and contractors SUEZ, in helping recycle such a high proportion of our domestic waste."

"These recycling items are a valuable resource which once processed are used as raw materials for manufacturing or as compost for our farmers. It's a clear contribution to a circular economy and contributes to our zero-carbon target. A big thank you to everyone involved."

Two years ago, the council introduced an extended recycling service to residents, enabling them to recycle more than ever before including mixed plastics, cartons and cardboard which are collected every week. Coupled with a weekly food waste collection from the kerbside, it means that very little should be thrown away in household grey wheeled waste bins, which are collected every three weeks.

District recycling has also been further boosted by the council's green waste collection service which started last year. More than 10,000 households have now signed up to the fortnightly collections, which cost £48 a year.