Waste going to landfill plummets

Introduced in February, the controversial collections prompted a wave of opposition.

But according to provisional figures for February to April, the amount of household waste being sent to landfill has dropped by 17.5 per cent.

During this time, households have sent around 3,000 tonnes of waste to landfill, compared to around 3,700 tonnes for the same period last year.

Paul Whitaker, Craven Council's lead member for the environment, said: "It's thanks to you, our residents, that the new kerbside recycling collections have been such a success. We're sending fewer tonnes to landfill and that's good news for the environment and for the financial wellbeing of the council. This can only mean that residents are recycling more because of the improved kerbside collections we have provided.

"We need your continuing support in separating your recyclables into the right bin. We are looking forward to telling residents how much they have recycled on the new AWC (alternate weekly collections) scheme towards the end of summer."