Stockport is one of the greenest boroughs in the UK

Residents’ efforts have helped Stockport to become one of the top two per cent of boroughs for recycling in England and Wales

Stockport is one of the country’s greenest councils. Residents have helped the borough to recycle over 60 per cent of household waste, meaning Stockport is ranked in the top two per cent of authorities in England and Wales.

Recycling efforts helped the council avoid £12m in disposal costs and ranked Stockport as the seventh best authority for recycling.

The national average was 44.7 per cent.

Cllr Martin Candler, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Supporting Places, said: “Firstly I would like to congratulate our residents for once again leading by example when it comes to recycling.

“Not only are you helping to improve the environment in which you live, you are also helping to save yourself money, and helping to safeguard vital services by saving the council money.

“Let’s make 2016 the year for recycling. Remember, the less there is in the bin, the more there is in your pocket.”

The council’s top tips for recycling:
Resolve to begin recycling if you don’t already. You can start small. Try putting aside your plastic bottles for your brown bin. Plastic bottles can take up to 500 years to decompose if they’re not recycled! Remember the only plastic we can recycle is plastic bottles.
If you already recycle, then recycle more. Did you know, Aluminium foil may be easy to scrunch up and throw away but every last bit of it can be recycled in your brown bin.
Resolve to purchase more items made from recycled materials. Paper towels, toilet paper, aluminium cans, cereal boxes, and many other paper products fall into this category. Even the clothes you wear can be made from recycled materials – Did you know, fleeces are made from plastic bottles?
Resolve to recycle in all rooms, don’t just recycle in the kitchen, sort it in the bathroom too. You can help to boost your recycling by putting the right items in the right bins from your bathroom including shampoo bottles, shower gel containers and cardboard toilet roll inserts.
Resolve to recycle all your paper and card in your blue bin, including all those unwanted Christmas cards. Recycling a tonne of paper spares 17 trees.

If you’ve been inundated with junk mail this Christmas, contact the Mailing Preference Service to remove your name from mailing lists. Register online at www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/ or call 0845 703 4599.