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A Greener cleaner borough
Mayor's consort John Hurst and the Mayor of Wigan councillor Myra Whiteside, promote the recycle coffee carton scheme
WIGAN has proved it has made up for lost time in going green.
Despite lagging behind on recycling services for years, the borough is now among the top councils in the North West in having the highest recycling rates.
Its average rate of 37 per cent puts it in the top half of the Greater Manchester councils’ eco-performance table.
Stockport and Trafford council lead the way at 63 per cent and 49 per cent respectively with the likes of Rochdale at (35 per cent) and Salford (32) now fallin behind.
Improvements to household recycling are credited with the upturn in fortunes, not least the provision of different bins for different waste.
Back in 2003 the borough only managed to recycle 12 per cent of its waste although, Rochdale, Salford, Manchester and Trafford were faring worse in those days.
Coun Kevin Anderson, Wigan’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “Our figures show we are well on our way to reaching our target of recycling 45 per cent of the waste we produce in Wigan Borough by 2015. This is a great achievement and testament to the hard work of council staff and the cooperation of residents.
“We have made steady progress over the years. But with the changes to waste collections we introduced in 2012, I expect our recycling rates for this financial year to be even higher. Burying rubbish in the ground is an expensive and unsustainable way of disposing of waste. Not only is recycling good for the environment, it also saves taxpayers’ money.
“The less rubbish we send to landfill, the less money we have to pay. I’m proud of the progress we have made and grateful to our residents for their on-going support.”
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Weather for Leigh
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: West
