ECO-friendly residents have been praised after new figures revealed more than half of North Lincolnshire's waste is now recycled.

A total of 51.4 per cent of the region's waste is now re-used, according to data submitted by North Lincolnshire Council to the Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

It is a jump from last year's figure of 49 per cent and means the council has the second highest recycling rate of all unitary authorities in England, behind Rutland.

The green boost adds further weight to the region's bid to become Europe's renewable energy capital. Council officials have worked to increase the recycling rate in the region in recent years and residents have responded, pushing it up from 41 per cent three years ago.

This year's figure equates to a saving to council taxpayers in landfill tax of £600,000 per year, some of which the council is looking to reinvest into improving its recycling service.

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North Lincolnshire Council's cabinet member for neighbourhood, environment and communities, Councillor Len Foster, said: "We can't thank the people of North Lincolnshire enough for their commitment to recycling.

"Our staff play their part but without the public's effort, we just couldn't do it.

"We've come a long way in three years but it doesn't stop here.

"We need to carry on, as there is still room to improve."

Recycling rates in the region compare favourably to other neighbouring local authority areas, such as Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire.

Cllr Foster said the recycling rate had gone up at the same time as the actual tonnage of household waste had fallen over the last three years.

He said: "In approximate terms, our total tonnage for domestic waste is 98,000 tonnes per year and that is down from 104,000 tonnes three years ago.

"We now recycle 51 per cent of 98,000, whereas three years ago, it was 41 per cent of 104,000, so it is a win-win situation.

"We have changed a couple of things, like we have a couple of educational recycling officers and their benefits are three-fold on what it costs to employ them."

Cllr Foster added that changes had been made in the last year, with the recycling service becoming more widespread.

He said: "One of the changes this year is that the schools have come on board and they are on the figures.

"We are recycling a lot of tins and paper from the schools.

"We have also now got the Scunthorpe town centre area of 3,000 properties and that is very bespoke to their recycling requirements."

The council operates kerbside recycling collections across the region and also has eight recycling centres and more than 40 community recycling banks.

The increased recycling rate was welcomed by the North Lincolnshire branch of Friends of the Earth.

Branch spokeswoman, Jan Clark, said: "Obviously, we are delighted and we want to congratulate the council and look forward to being top of the league table next time.

"We would like to encourage people to think about what they buy so we have less stuff to throw away.

"Everybody has done a really good job in getting people to recycle what they buy but the longer-term solution has to be that people are throwing less away."