IT has been a record breaking year for recycling in West Devon and residents are being urged to keep up the good work as a way of helping to keep down the cost of their council tax.

West Devon Borough Council is highlighting how recycling helps to offset the cost of the waste and recycling service which ultimately means council tax bills are lower than they would otherwise be.

It costs around £56 each year to collect and deal with the waste and recycling from each household in the borough, but the figure would be much higher if West Devon was not recycling and composting at a rate of 60%.

The borough is now one of the top ten performing local authorities in England in terms of recycling and composting.   

The level of recycling and composting not only means the council gets 'recycling credits' from the Government but the value of some of the recycling materials also helps to keep costs down.

The most valuable recyclable items are aluminium cans, worth around £850 per tonne. 

Steel cans are worth around £110 per tonne.

Even paper is worth around £85 per tonne and with 5,100 tonnes collected in West Devon last year, it all adds up.

There is also another financial benefit from recycling as the council can reduce the waste going to landfill which costs around £97 per tonne.

Cllr Robert Oxborough, the council's chairman of community services, said: 'We all want to see council tax kept under control and how much we recycle can have a direct impact on our bills.

'If there was ever an incentive to recycle more it is the fact that it will save you money.'