RESIDENTS in Maldon recycled almost 60 per cent of household waste last year - way above the national average, new figures show.

The Local Government Association said households and councils have worked hard to increase the amount of waste recycled, but still have "one hand tied behind their back" by manufacturers using unrecyclable packaging.

Figures from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs show 15,076 tonnes of household waste were recycled in the Maldon district - around 59 per cent of all rubbish.

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It was up from a recycling rate of 58 per cent in 2020-21.

Across England, about 44 per cent of household waste was recycled in 2021-22 – up slightly from 43 per cent the year before.

An LGA spokesperson said households have made a "real shift" to ensure they are recycling as much as possible while councils work hard to share information on what can be recycled.

They said: “Manufacturers of plastic packaging products are continuing to create and sell packaging that cannot be recycled and will be put in the recycling bin by people in good faith.

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"The burden then falls on councils to not only collect it and dispose of it but to pay the extra costs."

A Defra spokesperson said it wants to recycle and reuse more waste and support households to do so.

They said: "Our plan aims to ban the supply of single-use plastics later this year, make some businesses pay to recycle their packaging by 2024, and introduce a deposit return scheme for plastic and metal drinks containers in 2025."