Residents in the Braintree district recycled more than 30,000 tonnes of household waste last year - coming third highest in the county.

The district recycled 14,643 tonnes of paper, plastic, cardboard, cans and glass between March 2013 and April 2014, according to data published by Essex County Council and the Rural Services Network.

A further 17,144 tonnes of green and food waste was composted.

This equates to 56.1 per cent of all waste collected, placing the district behind Epping Forest and Rochford in the table of districts in Essex.

Figures for between January and December 2013 show Braintree also ranked 15th nationally.

See Thursday's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.