A NEW study has named Colchester as the second-least wasteful town in England after research was conducted on the area’s levels of household waste, recycling and other factors including flytipping.

Bower Collective, a company which sells sustainable and environmentally friendly home products, analysed figures on household waste, recycling and fly-tipping using Government statistics.

The research compared results from a 12 month period between 2014 and 2015 with a 12 month period between 2019 and 2020.

It found that Colchester recycles 38 per cent more of its waste than the England average – meaning it has the sixth highest recycling rate out of any English town.

But statistics also revealed Colchester residents had to shell out tens of thousands of pounds to deal with waste which had been wrongly placed in recycling bins last year.

Recycling charity Wrap estimates that non-recyclable waste disposed of as recycling costs councils around £93 per tonne to dispose of.

Calculations showed rejected waste cost Colchester’s taxpayers an estimated £37,200 in 2020-21 alone.

Figures relating to the level of fly-tipping in Colchester were more positive, however, with Bower Collective recording there were 84 flytipping incidents per 10,000 residents in 2019-20, well below the national average of 148 incidents per 10,000 Nearby Chelmsford had the lowest flytipping rates per capita in England, with only eight incidents recorded per 10,000 residents.

Speaking about some of the positive figures, a spokesman for Colchester Council said it was a combined effort from the council and residents to help recycle as much waste as possible.

He said: “We are delighted to have been recognised as one of the least wasteful boroughs.

“We have worked hard to reduce the amount of waste we produce as a council and to support everyone in Colchester to recycle more and reduce their impact on the environment as well.

“We all need to do our bit to tackle the waste problem and the council has led and will continue to help lead the way for Colchester.”

Stroud, in Gloucestershire, came in as England’s least wasteful town.