Ashford Borough Council has massively improved its waste processing - and shed its title as England’s worst recycling local authority.
In the first year of an extensively-revised recycling and refuse collection service the authority quadrupled its recycling performance.
In Defra’s 2012-13 recycling league table Ashford was placed last of 353 English local authorities with a recycling rate of 11.88%.
But provisional data for the 12 months since the new service was introduced by municipal contractor Biffa in July last year shows Ashford achieved an average recycling, reuse and composting rate of almost 55%.
Cllr Jessamy Blanford, Ashford BC's portfolio holder for waste and recycling, said: 'This is extremely encouraging news.
'We have been delighted with how enthusiastic our residents have been about recycling since the new service and wheeled bins were introduced.
'To see figures continuing to climb after the initial excitement has died down is wonderful news for our borough.'
