North Herts District Council has announced that it is "delighted" to join this year's Recycle Week (14 – 20 October) to celebrate the efforts of people in the district and help save five packaging heroes from the rubbish bin.

In the past reports showed that Hertfordshire including Hitchin throw away less 'rubbish' than in other parts of the country – but more of that waste goes to landfill.

Nine out of ten people regularly recycle – nearly eight out of ten of us (79%) put one or more items into the bin that could have been recycled.

Hitchin has a recycling rate that aligns with Hertfordshire's performance, which is one of the best in the East of England.

In 2022, the county achieved an average recycling rate of 52.7%. St. Albans had the highest rate in Hertfordshire at 64.2%.

County Council figures show that 32% of Hertfordshire's waste is sent to an energy recovery facility and 16% of Hertfordshire's waste is sent to landfill.

The latest Recycle Now research shows that while we're a nation of recyclers - nine out of ten people regularly recycle – nearly eight out of ten of us (79%) put one or more items into the bin that could have been recycled.

Now in its twenty-first year, Recycle Week (organised by Recycle Now) is the UK's biggest celebration of recycling, shining a light on the nation's recycling habits through activities happening across the UK. 

Sarah Kingsley, Service Director- Place at North Herts Council, said: "We're doing our bit to help support residents with recycling. We've already started collecting plastic film/wrap, often known as soft plastic, from almost 8,000 residents across the district as part of a trial, and from 2025 we'll collect soft plastics from everyone's grey recycling bin. This will greatly reduce the volume of general waste and the amount we send to landfill".

"From next summer, three-weekly collections will replace the current fortnightly cycle of general waste and recycling. We'll still collect food waste every week, and garden waste every fortnight. Research and experience across the country shows that extending the frequency of general waste collections encourages people to recycle more and reduces what is sent to landfill."

Back in 2022 then Hitchin MP, Bim Afolami, said that the council plans to change bin collection dates to every three weeks could leave North Herts residents with the 'worst bin collection rota' in the East of England.

Cllr Amy Allen, Executive Member for Recycling and Waste, has defended the new scheme urging residents to : "do our bit for the planet, which includes looking at our food and waste habits – for instance using up fresh food before it's too late, making sure any food waste goes in the food caddy, and recycling as much as we can at the kerbside and elsewhere".

If you would like to follow the action on social media and take part in your own rescue missions, please use the hashtag #RescueMeRecycle and #RecycleWeek. Follow on Twitter/X @recycle_now and Instagram @recyclenow_uk for updates on how you can get involved and make an impact this Recycle Week.