Milton Keynes is officially England’s top recycling city, and the second highest performer in the country according to new Government figures.
Last year, Milton Keynes rose an incredible 76 places in the official recycling chart from 83 to 7, the largest rise in all council areas assessed, as local people recycled more after Milton Keynes City Council introduced a greener collection system.
This year, Milton Keynes is the top city in the chart, and second highest overall. It lost out on the top spot – claimed by Stratford-on-Avon - by just 0.7%, which is around 1,000 tonnes of recycling. This is as much recycling as crews in Milton Keynes collect every seven working days, so getting to number 1 next year is something local people can easily achieve if they each reuse or recycle just a few items more.
Official statistics show that an impressive 63.2% of the city’s household waste was recycled, reused or composted in 2024/25. This is up from 60% the previous year, and far higher than the national average of 43.8%. Just six councils achieved more than 60% in 2024/25.
The City Council introduced cleaner and greener waste collections and a state-of-the-art electric fleet in September 2023, when residents began separating paper and card from plastic, metal and glass using clearly labelled red and blue wheelie bins. As well as making it easier for local people to sort their recyclables, this change encouraged many more households to take part. As a result, the amount of recycling processed in the city increased by more than a third.
Recycling saves energy, reduces waste and helps tackle climate change. In Milton Keynes, hardly any waste goes to landfill and in most months, nothing is sent as the City Council uses waste that can’t be recycled to generate electricity which powers many of its vehicles.
The City Council is extending a massive thank you to all local people who recycle. This collective effort has got the city into second place, and the goal is to get to first place next year, especially as such a small amount of additional recycling would get us to number 1. Residents can check what can and can’t be recycled at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/recycling