Recycling rates are made up of two things:

• dry recyclables (like glass, paper, card plastics and tins)
• the composting of garden waste

Hastings Borough Council's Dry Recyclables Facts and Figures:

• We achieved 22.9% recycling in 07/08 and were ranked 4th in East Sussex
• If Twin Bins had been in place for the full year we would have achieved 26% and been ranked 1st in East Sussex
• For the 08/09 our indicative recycling rate is 25.3% and we are ranked 1st - the best in East Sussex!

Hastings Borough Council's Composting Facts and Figures:

• We were ranked 5th in East Sussex in 07/08 and for 08/09
• Our neighbours are less urban so they generate more garden waste
• Composting makes up a large part of many local authority areas' recycling rates
• Areas that have concentrated upon composting to achieve good recycling rates are now having to re-think this strategy as it has an adverse impact on the Government's landfill tax allowances
• Garden Waste collections usually increase the amount of waste collected
• As Hastings is reasonably urban we felt it was unfair for all residents to subsidise garden waste collections so we launched an opt-in scheme which has been a tremendous success with over 2,400 residents signed up to the £35 per annum service
• Our composting tonnages have doubled and we expect our composting rate to increase but we will never see the high composting rates achieved by our neighbours Wealden or Rother because they have more gardens than we do!

Hastings Borough Council's Overall Recycling Facts and Figures:

• In 07/08 our overall recycling rate was 23.7% and we were ranked 6th which was the worst in East Sussex
• However, the introduction of the Twin Bin scheme in 0ctober 2007 which took our recycling rate to 27% for the remainder of that year
• For the 08/09 our indicative overall recycling rate is 27.9% and we are currently ranked 5th in East Sussex
• This figure is lower than some our neighbours because we do not rely on composting to achieve our recycling targets
• Hastings residents are the best at recycling glass, paper, plastics and tins in East Sussex!

Waste Minimisation Facts and Figures:

• Waste minimisation is also a key target and Hastings residents produce the 2nd lowest amount of waste per head in East Sussex!

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