The amount of waste being recycling or composted in Northern Ireland hit its highest ever Spring level this year, according to provisional figures released by the Department of the Environment.

The recycling and composting rate for municipal waste collected by local authorities reached 42.1% for the period of April to June, 1.2% higher than for the same period in 2012.

The recycling and composting rate for household waste collected by local authorities also hit a record level of 42.7%.

Mark Durkan, Environment Minister for Northern Ireland said: “The increase in recycling to their highest ever Spring levels is good news. It shows that as a society, we are changing our thinking and behaviour when it comes to waste. More of us are reusing resources which we would normally have simply classed as waste.”