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Kingston Council has announced that 165 tonnes of waste has been diverted from landfill in the last 12 months thanks to its street recycling bins.

The news comes hot on the heels of Government proposals to encourage local authorities across the country to install street recycling bins and help people recycle when they are out and about.

Kingston's distinctive dark green street recycling bins allow residents and visitors to recycle cans, plastic bottles, newspaper and magazines.  The first bins were installed in October 2005 and there are now 140 located near shopping parades, bus stops and train stations across the borough.  In June 2007, bins were introduced to seven locations in Kingston Town Centre for the first time. 

Councillor Liz Shard, Executive Member for Environment and Sustainability at Kingston Council, said:
"Kingston was amongst the first authorities in the country to introduce street recycling bins back in 2005, so it's nice to now see the Government encouraging other authorities to follow our lead.

"For many years now most of our residents have been able to recycle a wide range of materials from home using the doorstep collection service.  But we wanted to go one step further by bringing recycling opportunities quite literally to the high street.  The street recycling bins have proved very popular and they are making a significant contribution to reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill.  With heavy financial penalties on the horizon for council's who send more than their quota of waste to landfill, the cost of installing and maintaining these street recycling bins is relatively easy to justify."