THE people of Wyre Forest have received a big pat on the back for their efforts after the area managed to recycle 11 per cent of all its domestic waste.

The recycling figure means that Wyre Forest District Council has met the Government recycling target it was set for the financial year 2003/2004, doubling the amount it recycled in 2002/03 of 2,286 tonnes to 4,824.

The council is also celebrating another batch of statistics that relate to the effectiveness of the first seven months of its new recycling scheme.

They show that from the period of September, 2003, when the scheme went live, to March, 2004, Wyre Forest managed to send 17 per cent less of its domestic household rubbish to landfill, compared with the same period the previous year. And environmentally-friendly residents are putting 17 per cent less in their wheelie bins than previously.

Councillor Keith Robertson, commercial services portfolio holder, said the successful results had been achieved by Wyre Forest people "embracing" the changes in the refuse collection service and they should be "proud".

He said that the two-pronged approach of the scheme - kerbside collection and the switch to fortnightly wheelie bin emptying - had made people more aware of what they were putting in their bins and how they could cut down on waste generally.

He explained: "People have embraced the changes in the refuse collection service and we now have the results to prove it.

"I think the introduction of the recycling scheme has raised people's awareness about the issue of waste and this has led to some really positive changes."

He added: "We still have a little way to go to reach our recycling target of 18 per cent next year but, if we carry on like this, we should reach and, hopefully, exceed it."

The council would now be looking at making the scheme, currently reaching 84 per cent of households, available to all homes, he said.