A council is making sure 98 per cent of biodegradable waste from its parks is recycled.

Lewes District Council is working closely with its main grounds maintenance contractor, Wyevale Landscapes, to ensure the environment is taken into account in all maintenance.

About 98 per cent of all green waste produced from carrying out maintenance in council spaces, such as parks and cemeteries, is recycled and turned into compost. Some of this is reused to improve flower beds.

The parks section of Lewes District Council and Wyevale are now turning their attention to non-green waste, collected from litter picking and bin emptying. This waste is sent to a waste transfer station where glass, metal, plastic, paper and other materials are sorted out and then recycled.

Any timber collected from parks and open spaces is sent to the Wood Recycling Project, where it is cleaned and resold or used to make chipboard and other man-made boards.

Every year, Lewes District Council buys more than 120,000 bedding plants, trees and shrubs. More than 80 per cent of these are now grown in peat-free compost.

Tyres found dumped in council parks and open spaces are recycled and turned into household products.