Calderdale in the top ten for recycling

Calderdale Council placed sixth out of more than 400 local authorites and topped other councils across the Yorkshire region.

The survey revealed that just over three-fifths (60.09 per cent) of refuse waste in Calderdale is recycled.

Coun Scott Benton (Con, Brighouse), deputy leader of the council, said: “It’s brilliant news - we’ve been the best in West Yorkshire for quite a while now.

“The challenge is keeping our recycling level as high as it is.”

Coun Barry Collins (Lab, Illingworth and Mixenden), who was the Cabinet member in charge of waste management during the period covered by the survey, said: “We’ve done this together - local people and their local council working hard to drive forward an agreed local agenda.

“Now we must do the same to help meet our wider environmental challenge: a 40 per cent reduction in Calderdale’s carbon emissions by 2020.

“It’s all about ambition. And the council’s ambition is to support local communities in building an environmentally sustainable future.”

A Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “These latest figures show waste going to landfill continues to fall, reflecting continued hard work by local authorities and a desire from householders to recycle more. We remain committed to recycling 50 per cent of our household waste by 2020 and continue to support local authorities’ efforts to promote recycling.”