“"There is plenty to be positive about. Devon is producing less waste, five district councils continue to recycle more than half of their household waste, and Exeter has made a welcome improvement while Torbay and Devon County Council are on track to reduce the waste collected per person each year to 400kg by 2030. The Shared Savings Scheme shows what councils can achieve by working together. Through service changes and operational improvements it has cut waste by around 79,000 tonnes against projected levels and saved around £24 million. But we know there remains a more to do on recycling, and particularly on recycling food waste, and that improvements here will both help our environment and reduce the costs that are passed on to residents through Council tax. So we will keep working together to help people reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible."
Devon Councils Save £24 Million Through Waste Reduction Drive
A decade-long initiative sees significant savings and reduced household waste, with funds reinvested into local services.
By Verity Coombes
••3 min read
Devon County Council
Councils across Devon have collectively saved around £24 million over the past decade through a concerted effort to reduce household waste and lower treatment and disposal costs.
New figures presented to the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee (DASWC) reveal that households in the county produced 350,816 tonnes of waste in 2025/26, a reduction of 4,400 tonnes (1.2 per cent) compared to the previous year. This brings the waste collected per person down from 417kg to 411kg, keeping Devon and Torbay on course to meet their 2030 target of 400kg per person.
These figures are a result of a Shared Savings Scheme launched in 2016, which incentivised six district councils to minimise waste and implement cost-saving measures for treatment and disposal. Over its 10-year operation, the scheme has seen waste fall by approximately 79,000 tonnes against projected levels, generating savings of around £24 million. Roughly £12 million of these savings have been returned to the participating councils and reinvested into local waste services and technology, including collection vehicles, depots, containers, and equipment.
Among the participating councils, average recycling rates increased from 47.3 per cent to 52.2 per cent. In the latest annual figures, Devon reused, recycled, or composted 187,401 tonnes of household waste, achieving a recycling rate of 53.4 per cent, a slight decrease from 54.2 per cent the previous year. East Devon led the county with a 59.8 per cent recycling rate, followed by Mid Devon (56.4 per cent).
Exeter was the only district to improve its recycling rate, rising from 29 per cent to over 30 per cent for the first time since 2017/18. The city also recorded the lowest amount of household waste collected per person in Devon at 257kg. Fluctuations in recycling figures can occur due to weather and changes in waste composition, particularly organic material which constitutes half of Devon’s recycling.
Based on information from the official source: Devon County Council (26/10/2026)
