Milton Keynes Sets the Standard for Recycling Street Litter

10.53.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 18th Sep 2007

Milton Keynes Council is leading the way cleaning up the city streets by recycling street litter.

Government ministers have called on all local authorities to follow the lead of councils such as Milton Keynes, London , Cornwall, Dorset and Manchester, in using recycling litter bins in the streets. Ministers want recycling bins, which would accept paper, glass and cans, alongside waste bins on high streets to help the country improve its recycling rates - currently among the lowest in Europe.

Forward thinking recycling officers at Milton Keynes Council have already installed dozens of recycling litter bins across the city.

In addition, the Council has gone one step further by devising a method for its street cleaners to recycle as they go - believed to be one of the first such schemes in the UK.

A team of 30 litter pickers have been using barrows that have been divided to separate out recyclable litter while, in the past, they would have used a single black bag to collect litter. To date, more than 12 tonnes of street litter has been recycled and removed from landfill.

Liberal Democrat councillor Douglas McCall, cabinet member responsible for the environment, said: "In Milton Keynes we are always keen to explore any avenue to increase our recycling rates and play our part in stopping so much rubbish going to landfill.

"I am delighted that the Government has recognised that the initiatives we have already put in place in Milton Keynes should be adopted by other authorities across the UK."