TEIGNBRIDGE is in the top 20 councils nationwide for dealing with waste, because of its ‘golden nugget’ of a recycling centre.

Teignbridge Council’s overview and scrutiny committee heard that the district is on track to meet its recycling targets thanks to the efforts of its residents and the team at the recycling centre in Newton Abbot.

Cllr Peter Williams (Lib Dem, Teignmouth East), the council’s executive member for environmental services, said recycling rates are rising again.

He went on: ‘They continue to climb steadily across the district.

‘We are in the top 20 for recycling, and we have one of the best organised and run units in the country.

‘It is really a golden nugget that we’ve got. The teams there have been absolutely brilliant.’

Cllr Williams told the committee that Teignbridge is in the middle of a trial to recycle Tetra Pak containers – commonly used for milk and fruit juices.

So far 5,000 homes in Teignbridge have been given the chance to recycle such items rather than dumping them.