A new report has revealed Surrey residents are among England’s top performers when it comes to recycling.

And a new campaign from the Surrey Environment Partnership (SEP) is urging residents to keep up the good work and help the county stay at the top.

'Recycling in Surrey 2021-22' shows 54.4 per cent of Surrey’s waste is recycled, composted or reused – the third highest of 29 comparable local authorities in England.

The campaign that follows it launched yesterday (Wednesday) and will focus on four key materials, which can be recycled but sometimes, surprisingly, are not.

Below shows the amount of these materials that are not being recycled in Surrey:

  • 9,096 tonnes of paper and card, equating to the weight of roughly 5,000 cars.
  • 8,353 tonnes of plastic, equal to almost 1,500 elephants.
  • 6,619 tonnes of glass, approximately 9,500 cows.
  • 2,268 tonnes of metal, equivalent to around 4,500 polar bears.

The campaign will use a range of tactics and channels to encourage residents to recycle more to help protect the environment and save their local council money, as it costs them less to recycle material than it does to dispose of it as rubbish.

SEP chair, Cllr Marisa Heath, said: “The report is great news as it shows that Surrey is one of the best performing areas in the country for recycling. But we want to get even higher up the league table, which is why we’re launching a campaign to encourage residents to recycle even more.

"We know that lots of material that can be recycled is going into rubbish bins and we want to change that. We’re hopeful that Surrey residents will be encouraged by the findings of the report and will start filling their recycling bins to help us achieve ever greater performance.”

There are some simple ways residents can help their county to the top of the table:

  • Recycle all of your food waste. Every area of Surrey provides free food waste collection. Contact your local council for details.
  • Refresh your knowledge of what can and can’t be recycled and check if you’re not sure. Get help by using the Surrey Recycles search tool or playing the online waste game.
  • Don’t put garden waste, small electricals or textiles in your rubbish bin. They can all be recycled. Use the Surrey Recycles search tool to find out how to recycle them where you live.
  • Place items into your recycling bin loose and with no food or drink in or on them.
  • Check if your local supermarket recycles soft plastics. Use a bag to collect them up and the next time you go shopping, take it with you.

For more information and tips, visit the SEP website.