REFUSE chiefs celebrated one year of recycling waste from 35,000 Wyre Forest homes and pledged to exceed Government targets even further in 2005.

Refuse collectors were treated to a cake for helping to get 24 per cent of the district's waste re-used - six per cent above the target set by Whitehall.

Wyre Forest District Council this month celebrates one year of picking up the green and black boxes from 84 per cent of district homes.

The council's efforts did not stop there, as an extra 6,000 homes would come on board during the next eight months, seeing 99 per cent of homes covered, said cabinet member for commercial services, Marcus Hart.

This would increase total waste recycled to 28 per cent, he said.

"The residents have made a massive contribution to the success of the scheme and I thank them for their efforts during the past year," he said.

An estimated 15 per cent of those given the boxes for weekly collection were still not recycling, said Mr Hart.

He added: "I think it is all about education. It is only during the last few years we have become environmentally aware and appreciate that we can't just shove everything into landfill."