More than 60 per cent of all household waste is recycled in East Devon, making the district one of the best in the country.

This puts East Devon District Council (EDDC) as the tenth best recycling council in England, up from 15th place last year.

The district also has the number one spot for lowest waste generated per household.

DEFRA has confirmed that East Devon residents recycled 60.5 per cent of their household waste in 2019/2020.

This is the first time the district has achieved a rate of more than 60 per cent.

The district has retained its position as the number one area for producing the least waste per household.

In 2019/2020 each household produced an average of 251.7kgs of refuse during the year – the equivalent of more than 250 bags of sugar.

East Devon residents have not only recycled well but have produced less waste.

East Devon, along with Devon County Council and the other district councils, contribute to the whole recycling effort across the county.

This latest news means Devon is now the second best county in the country for recycling with a county wide rate of 56.6 per cent.

Councillor Geoff Jung, the EDDC portfolio holder for Coast, Country and Environment said: "We can't thank residents enough for embracing our curb side recycling scheme introduced five years ago.

"Recycling is more important than ever as we work to build a greener economy and combat climate change. The materials that we collect from households are valuable resources that benefit our environment and our economy.

"We ask everyone to recycle as much as they can so that we can do even better in the future.

"This is great news for our environment, and we are grateful to residents for engaging so positively with our recycling system."

For the latest tips on East Devon's 'reduce, reuse, recycle' scheme click here.