Milton Keynes has been officially named England’s top recycling city, reaching the second-highest recycling rate in the country for the 2024/25 period. According to the latest statistics from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the city achieved a 63.2% household waste recycling rate, a significant increase from 60% the previous year.
This achievement marks a major turnaround for the area, which has climbed from 83rd place in the national rankings two years ago to its current position. This rise is the largest improvement seen by any council in England. The transformation followed the Milton Keynes City Council decision to introduce cleaner, greener waste collections in September 2023. This included a new system where residents use clearly labelled red and blue wheelie bins to separate paper and card from plastic, metal and glass, alongside an electric vehicle fleet for collections.
The city’s recycling rate is now well above the national average of 43.8%. While the Stratford-on-Avon District Council currently holds the top spot nationally with a 63.9% rate, the gap between the two is only 0.7%. This difference represents approximately 1,000 tonnes of recycling, which is equivalent to the amount the city’s crews collect every seven working days. The council has expressed that reaching the number one position is an achievable goal for the coming year if residents continue to build on these habits.
Milton Keynes has a long history of environmental initiatives, having been the first place in the UK to introduce kerbside recycling more than 30 years ago. Today, the city sends hardly any waste to landfill, instead using non-recyclable materials to generate electricity that helps power the council’s fleet of vehicles.
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