Lichfield district council's senior sustainable development officer Ysanne Williams is to join a new customer service department being set up by her council.
 Ysanne Williams accepting her Local Authority Recycling Champion award in 2004, with BBC broadcaster Darren Jordon (left) and Defra's head of local authority support, John Enright |
The first ever Local Authority Recycling Champion in the annual Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management, Ms Williams was awarded an MBE as part of the Queen's birthday honours last month.
The MBE – Member of the Order of the British Empire – recognised Ms Williams for her contribution to local government, particularly in view of her work in the recycling field and her 23 years at Lichfield district council.
Ms Williams originally moved into recycling at Lichfield in 1995, when the council was just starting out on the landfill diversion trail.
During her 10 years working to improve recycling services, she helped introduce kerbside recycling borough-wide in Lichfield, a service that has helped the district maintain a regular presence among the best recycling councils in the UK.
In 2004, Lichfield became the best council in the country for recycling, reaching a 46% recycling rate.
Swan song
The MBE now marks a swansong for the Lichfield officer's career in recycling as she moves to a new role.
Commenting on the award yesterday, Ms Williams told letsrecycle.com: “It is an honour and a privilege to be recognised for having an impact on something so worthy. It was a surprise but I do feel quite honoured to be receiving an MBE. I am now moving on to something new, something fresh.”
Lichfield district council paid tribute to Ms Williams, saying it was “thrilled and extremely proud” that she was being awarded an MBE.
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Nina Dawes, the council's chief executive, said: “Ysanne was a key member of our team on the introduction what would turn out to be the country's most successful integrated waste collection and recycling scheme in 2003/04.
“Ysanne has displayed great dedication and commitment in helping the public adjust to the demands of recycling and changing their attitude towards it. As a result, Lichfield now has a reliable service that meets the needs of the residents and serves as an excellent example to all other authorities,” she added.
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