Residents in the Vale have been congratulated on their excellent recycling yet again.
The Vale of White Horse District Council scooped the Best Improved Recycling Rates prize at the LARAC Celebration Awards 2012. The Vale and South Oxfordshire District Council who share a waste contract with Biffa were also named as the top two recycling areas in the country in a survey carried out by letsrecycle.com. Since the launch of the current waste and recycling service, recycling rates in the Vale have increased dramatically from around 36 per cent to just under 70 per cent. The judges at the LARAC awards described the recycling figures as “phenomenal”. The councils also won a silver award for Transformation in Waste and Environment at the IE Awards 2012. Cllr Matthew Barber, said: “We are very proud to have received this award and it is testament to the dedication of our residents who have proved themselves so committed to recycling. We want those rates to continue climbing though, so are constantly looking at new ways to improve the service. “ Recently, the councils introduced a battery recycling service as well as installing bring banks for small electrical items at their many recycling points across southern Oxfordshire. The councils also have a smartphone app called Binfo that reminds residents of their collection dates and if there are changes to the service due to bank holidays or adverse weather. Further information on Binfo can be found at www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/binfo