Remember the old days before the Liberal Democrats gained influence on the council, when Harlow used to lag in the recycling league tables? Just a few bottle banks and the county council amenity site at Riverway.

Harlow Council collected almost 600 tonnes of recyclable waste in January this year - that's 87 tonnes more than in the same month last year, and an increase of 17 per cent. Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Cllr Eleanor Macy says:

"These recycling statistics give a clear indication that the people of Harlow are embracing recycling, and committing to helping the environment. Harlow Council has been proactive in promoting and encouraging town-wide participation in the reduction of waste and alleviating the amount of waste sent to landfill, with some innovative campaigns such as the Together We Can.... initiative.

There are still improvements that can be made, but these figures prove that we are making excellent progress, and we'd like to thank the residents of Harlow for their participation."