The increased volume of material being sent from East Lothian households to be recycled is producing significant benefits, according to East Lothian Council.

Recycling material can be sold on by the council for processing, whereas the process of sending waste that is not recycled is costly.

In 2023/24, £463,000 of income was received from recycled material, while the cost of disposing of waste was £3.545 million.

For 2022, across Scotland the average household waste recycling rate was 43.3 per cent but East Lothian achieved a recycling rate of 53.1 per cent, which was the highest of the four Lothian councils and in the top 10 of all Scottish local authorities.

The council expects to see further improvement on this through an increased focus on its weekly household recycling collection service.

On average, about half of the waste collected from green bins could still be recycled – with 30 per cent being food waste.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, council leader, said: “In recent years, the amount of waste being collected for recycling in East Lothian has continued to increase while the amount of waste sent for disposal has reduced.

“As well as being a good thing for the environment, this has the added benefit of generating income to help balance our budget and enable us to protect jobs and to continue delivering key services valued by the public.

“This success is thanks to the support of local residents for their significant use of the recycling opportunities which exist – amongst the highest in Scotland.

“However, although less waste is being sent to landfill than in previous years, we do still spend a significant amount on processing waste that is not presented for recycling.

“That’s why we are keen to maximise opportunities for people to recycle as much material as possible, with a view to further protecting and enhancing the environment and supporting the delivery of sustainable services. We are looking for the public’s help to further increase the amount of waste that is recycled.”