With recycling rates in East Cambridgeshire projected to go over 54 per cent this year, the District Council has won more money from Government to help promote recycling further.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) announced East Cambridgeshire District Council was one of 46 successful bids to receive funding through its Recycling Reward Scheme.

The Council will receive £197,000 which will be used to fund a monthly prize draw that residents will be entered into if they put their recycling bin out for collection containing the correct materials. The scheme is funded for two years and is expected to start in June. Further information will be provided closer to the time.

Cllr Anna Bailey, Chairman of Regulatory and Support Services Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "Our waste and recycling service has been transformed over the past two years with the introduction of wheelie bins after winning grant funding from central Government. Thanks to the fantastic residents of East Cambs we have gone from recycling 33 per cent of our waste to 54 per cent.  This month we have again been successful in applying to central Government for more money which we will use to increase our recycling rates even further. I am so proud of what has been achieved so far and I really hope and believe that we can top the table for Cambridgeshire - but we need to keep working, as we will have to hit 60 per cent if we want to be the best in the county."

The wheeled bin recycling service involves:

• A blue lidded wheeled bin recycling collection, including paper, glass, food & drinks cans, plastic bottles & hard plastic food containers, cartons and cardboard. This is collected fortnightly.
• A green lidded wheeled bin collection for garden and food waste. This is also collected fortnightly.
• Refuse in black sacks continues to be collected weekly

For more information on the waste and recycling service in East Cambridgeshire please call 01353 665555.