STAGGERING facts and figures showing the amount of refuse generated by residents and how it is dealt with have been released by Wyre Forest District Council.

The "Top 10 Incredible Wyre Forest Litter Facts" unearths some surprising statistics:

The amount of rubbish collected weekly by council staff could fill the Wyre Forest Glades Arena.

Binmen in the district walk more than 40,000 miles each year, the equivalent of 2,500 for each member of staff.

All of Wyre Forest's litter bins placed end-to-end would stretch from Kidderminster to Istanbul.

17 million metres of district roads are swept mechanically each year.

500 tonnes - equal to 150,000 bottles - of glass are recycled annually.

District road sweepers sweep the equivalent of 70 football pitches every week.

The amount of rubbish collected in the district has risen by half since 1990 and 15 per cent over the last three years.

Hartlebury's landfill site is home to 94 per cent of all household waste collected in Wyre Forest.

The equivalent weight of a navy battleship - 38,000 tonnes - are collected in the district every year.

Six per cent of Wyre Forest waste is currently recycled - the Government requires this figure to be 10 per cent by March 2003.