The Warwickshire authority achieved a recycling rate of 63.9%, placing it at the top of the latest annual local authority waste statistics released by Defra.
Organic waste accounted for 64.0% of its total household recycling tonnage, the highest proportion of any authority in 2024/25.
The figure comes amid an overall decline in recycling performance in England, hitting 43.8% in 2024/25, down 0.2 percentage points from 44.0% in 2023/24.
Julie Lewis, Head of Environmental and Neighbourhood Services at Stratford-on-Avon District Council, said: “Coming first in England for recycling rates in 2024/25 is an outstanding achievement and something the whole District can be proud of.
“This result reflects the commitment of our residents, who recycle responsibly every week, and the dedication our waste collection partners, Biffa, and our teams who work hard behind the scenes to deliver a high‑performing service.
“It shows what can be achieved when a community and council work together to reduce waste and protect the environment.”
Adam Read, Chief Sustainability and External Affairs Officer for SUEZ, added: “Steadily rising waste levels and the continued stagnation of our household recycling rate underline the vital importance of the Simpler Recycling reforms coming into force today across England.
“Introducing separate food waste collections for all households has the potential to alter the trajectory of our household recycling performance and at the same time help to provide a source of renewable energy to heat and power our homes.”
England’s top performers
Milton Keynes Council ranked second with a recycling rate of 63.2%, with organics making up 51.6% of its recycling stream.
In third place, South Oxfordshire District Council reported a recycling rate of 61.3%, with 60.3% of its recycling tonnage coming from organic waste.
The authority had topped the table in 2022/23 and 2023/24.
Overall, only six authorities achieved recycling rates above 60% in 2024/25, down from ten the previous year. Meanwhile, 66 authorities recorded rates above 50%.
The full recycling league table for 2024/25 in England can be viewed on letsrecycle.com here.
Lowest recycling rates
At the other end of the table, London Borough of Tower Hamlets recorded the lowest household waste recycling rate at 17.0%, alongside the lowest proportion of organic waste at 8.4%.
Liverpool City Council followed with a recycling rate of 17.9% (31.0% organic), while Birmingham City Council recorded 20.3% (34.3% organic).
Increase in incineration
The broader data shows a mixed picture for waste and recycling in England. Total local authority managed waste rose slightly by 0.4% to reach 25.2 million tonnes.
At the same time, the amount of waste sent for incineration increased to 12.7 million tonnes, meaning it accounted for just over half (50.3%) of all local authority managed waste.
Recycling tonnage, however, remained unchanged at 10.4 million tonnes.
Read added: “Currently, we collect just over half a million tonnes of food waste separately from households in England and yet we know there are millions more sitting in black bins in homes around the country, with many people keen to be able to separate this for recycling.”
Food waste collections
Separately collected food waste continued to show growth in 2024, increasing by 6.7% to 535,000 tonnes, up from 501,000 tonnes in 2023.
The rise was consistent throughout the year, with increases recorded in each quarter, suggesting sustained improvements in participation and capture rates.
The upward trend is expected to continue as the rollout of Simpler Recycling reforms gathers pace.
With more councils either introducing or expanding separate food waste collection services, further gains in tonnage and overall recycling performance are anticipated in the coming years.
Dry recycling materials
Dry recycling, including incinerator bottom ash (IBA) metals, also saw an overall increase in 2024, rising by 0.1 million tonnes to 5.5 million tonnes.
This material stream accounted for 25.2% of total household waste and 57.5% of all household recycling.
Most dry material categories recorded growth over the year. Paper and card increased by 19,000 tonnes (1.0%), plastics by 15,000 tonnes (2.9%), and metals by 4,000 tonnes (1.7%).
There were also notable rises in textiles (7.9%), IBA metals (2.3%), and WEEE and other scrap metals, which grew by 31,000 tonnes (6.2%).
Glass was the only major dry recycling material to decline, falling by 48,000 tonnes (3.9%) in 2024.
The full recycling league table for 2024/25 in England can be viewed on letsrecycle.com here.
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