FALLING prices for recycled materials are hitting council coffers but officials in East Anglia say it is “business as usual” and they are urging residents to continue supporting kerbside collections.

FALLING prices for recycled materials are hitting council coffers but officials in East Anglia say it is “business as usual” and they are urging residents to continue supporting kerbside collections.

Councils have been warned not to expect a profit from recycling household waste this year as volatile markets mean some materials have more than halved in value and others have stopped making money - leaving councils to foot the transportation bill.

But local authorities across Suffolk have urged residents to continue to recycle and compost as much as possible - despite national media reports that other authorities across the country are having to rethink their collection systems in light of the worsening markets for recyclables.

The Suffolk councils have received a reassurance from Viridor, the company responsible for the processing and marketing most of the material recovered for recycling in the county, that in spite of the worsening economic climate, there are no plans to stockpile or otherwise dispose of materials.

Andrew Nunn, spokesman for the Suffolk Waste Partnership, said: “Recycling makes a vital contribution to tackling climate change and Suffolk becoming the greenest county.

“Residents' efforts have significantly reduced the amount of waste that is land filled in Suffolk by more than six per cent compared with last year. It is vital that we do not stop our hard work now."

Mr Nunn said members of the public should continue to recycle and compost as much as they could at the kerbside and at the household waste recycling centres.