Recycling rates: 'It's worrying that young are worst culprits'

After years of global information campaigns and local messages, it seems that one in every five city residents is still chucking all their rubbish into one general bin.

And what's perhaps most worrying – and indeed surprising – is that the worst culprits appear to be the young people who we more commonly associate with an understanding of green issues.

A council report suggests 28 per cent of those aged 18 to 29 don't bother recycling. This may be a product of living in flats or the view that they have better, more fun things to do with their time – but it would be worrying if these younger residents stuck with such lazy habits.

The council released the figures yesterday, at the same time as it revealed plans for more recycling opportunities, in the form of kerbside pick-ups for plastic.

Of course, the city has no option other than to expand such services as it strives to meet tough targets. Within 15 years it, along with every local authority, must recycle 70 per cent of the city's waste and cut the amount going to landfills by five per cent.

If councils don't meet targets they face financial penalties, which will be bad news for every one of us who pays council tax or depends on the services they are supposed to pay for.

There has to be a real threat that if Edinburgh falls short of its own quotas the council may have to start applying the stick as well as the carrot when it comes to trying to persuade residents to play their part. Don't say you weren't warned.

Proud to be the best

WE DON'T really need other people to tell us that Edinburgh is one of the best cities in the world, but it is nice to hear it anyway.

A survey by a travel advice company ranked the Capital as the best British destination among European travellers.

The city was also named as the 25th best destination in the world by global travellers – beating London and every other place in the UK.

Such surveys don't mean much on their own, but this latest one comes on the back of a string of 2009 surveys which lauded Edinburgh as a tourist destination.

So we should take pride in the fact that so many visitors think we are miles better than just about anywhere else.