May 8, 2006 Brabantia. Residents in the South East are the UK's best recyclers, with nearly three-quarters of households recycling half to three-quarters of their household waste, according to research launched today (8 May 2006) by leading housewares company, Brabantia.

While the nation is producing more rubbish than ever before - approximately 30 million* tonnes of household waste each year - nearly half (43 per cent) of homeowners in the South East only produce a single bag of rubbish per week. This is significantly less than those living in the North of England where a tenth of householders produce a massive four or more bins bags of waste a week.

People in the South East are more likely to recycle paper and newspapers than any other region in the country and are also more likely to compost, with almost half (48 per cent) using nature's natural recycling system, compared to 36% nationally.

The findings also show that the South East is the most concerned about the environment with 99 per cent saying they really care about environmental issues, 88 per cent say they try to recycle as much as possible and well over half (66 per cent) think about the affects of their actions on the environment.

As well as significant regional variations, the survey found that the younger generation is far most wasteful than its older relatives, with one in ten of 18 to 34 year olds throwing out more than four bags of rubbish a week - enough to fill three double decker buses in just 12 months.

Although the government claims that as a nation we are recycling more than ever** we are still lagging behind our European counterparts in Spain, France and Germany in the recycling stakes while producing more rubbish than ever before in the UK each year and this is estimated to be growing by 3 per cent every 12 months.*** David Slater, sales director of Brabantia said: "The South East is setting a fantastic example to the rest of the country. However, despite their best efforts and government initiatives to increase the amount of rubbish we recycle, as a nation we continue to produce more and more rubbish every year. Clearly there is a need to change attitudes towards the environment and domestic waste management, so that recycling becomes a more accepted part of household waste disposal."