The idea of approaching the 'big 40' fills most people with dread, but for City of York Council it is the magic number that represents the percentage of waste that must be recycled by March 2010.

Thanks to its commitment to offering residents an ever-growing range of recycling and composting facilities, offical government figures show that the council has exceeded this target - almost three years early!

The council's success in meeting its government-set target, which is aimed at reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill sites,  puts it among the leading authorities in the country  in this area of work.

During 2006/07, the council achieved a recycling rate of 39.9 per cent, which meant that 40,170 tonnes of waste had been diverted from landfill sites and recycled or composted instead.

Terry Collins, director of Neighbourhood Services for the council, said: ""To reach our target so far in advance is a major achievement and largely due to the efforts of local people.

"We are grateful to all those residents who have embraced the drive to recycle and compost more of our waste, rather than allowing it to be dumped in landfill sites. The city's recycling rate is something that we can all be proud of."

The recently released government figures show that York had reached the 40 per cent target in March this year. Council estimates suggest that by March 2008 the overall rate will have gone up to 42 per cent.