INVERCLYDE has been named the best recycling area in Scotland after newly published figures put it on top of the pile.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency says Inverclyde recycled 56.8 per cent of its waste in 2014 — more than any other council in Scotland.

The news was welcomed today by the council’s environment and regeneration convener, Councillor Michael McCormick, pictured.

He said: “Last year we recycled over 16,000 tonnes of waste.

“This colossal amount is equivalent to recycling two bags of sugar for every man, woman and child in Inverclyde every week.

“Inverclyde has set a benchmark for other councils to follow, but we are determined to continue to build on our success and drive home the recycling message.” Inverclyde has been operating kerbside collections for 10 years, and has a dedicated team working with householders to make sure every opportunity to recycle is available to them.

He said: “We have also invested significantly to help people recycle, most recently opening a new £1 million facility at Pottery Street in Greenock.

“A huge amount of work is also done by our schools, where children and young people are taught about looking after the environment and encouraged to take the recycle message home to their parents.

“That work is starting to pay-off in Inverclyde, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of maintaining the momentum and delivering year-on-year improvements.” Nationally, 49.3 per cent of the 2.5 million tonnes of rubbish generated in Scotland was sent to landfill — down from 53.5 in 2013. Twenty of Scotland’s 32 councils failed to meet the Scottish Government’s target of sending at least half of their rubbish or more for recycling.