Recycling and composting rates in Croydon have more than doubled in the past four years, new figures from the council show.

Just 16 per cent of waste produced by the borough was recycled or composted in 2006, with 160,000 tonnes of rubbish sent to landfill.

But a range of new services including more collections of plastic, card, food and garden waste has pushed the recycling rate to more than 32 per cent this year.

Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for the environment, said: “People are really getting behind our push to improve recycling rates and cut the cost of expensive landfill.

“We could never have achieved this huge improvement if it wasn’t for the number of families who have got into the recycling habit.

“We’re really pleased not only with these figures, but also with the findings of a recent survey that showed us that people are much more satisfied with the services we offer than they were a few years ago.

“However we are not going to rest on our laurels - we want to do even more in the coming years.”