RESIDENTS across Cumbria have vowed to recycle more after watching shocking scenes of plastic dumped in the ocean on David Attenborough's nature programme Blue Planet II .

New data shows households in the county recycled, reused or composted 45 per cent of all waste during 2016/17 – one per cent less than in 2011/12.

Now, everyone is being urged to think carefully about what they buy in a bid to help the county hit the government's target for recycling of at least 50 per cent by 2020 – and halt heartbreaking damage to the planet.

Cumbria County Council's environment boss Councillor Celia Tibble said buying products with less packaging was the first step towards a greener county and environment.

"People have watched Blue Planet and been shocked by what they have seen," Mrs Tibble explained.

"I've had a number of calls asking if people are recycling the right way because of it.

"I think the target of 50 per cent recycled in Cumbria by 2020 is achievable. We need to keep going and really think about buying less so that we waste less."

She added: "There is quite a lot of confusion out there about what can be recycled, which types of plastic can be placed in the recycling bin.

"This is something we are working on. We want to make sure everyone is clear about how to recycle so that we can continue to improve our recycling rates and reduce what is sent to landfill."

Viewers of Blue Planet II , the BBC's applauded wildlife series, saw the devastating effect of plastic bags, straws and drinks bottles on marine life across the world.

It included a scene in which a pilot whale continued to carry her dead baby for days – its death thought to have been caused by pollution – as well as images of a hawksbill turtle tangled in a plastic sack.

Cumbria's recycling rate of 45 per cent last year was far higher than the worst performing area in England – the London borough of Newham – which recycled just 14 per cent of all waste.

But it is lower than the average rate of households in Wales, where 55 per cent of waste is saved from landfill.

The latest figures, which come from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, show Cumbria cleared away a whopping 273,151 tonnes of rubbish last year.

Some 90 per cent of this was household waste.

Each household threw out on average 562kg of rubbish that was not reprocessed – roughly the same weight as an adult bottle nose dolphin.

In Carlisle, 41 per cent of waste was recycled during 2016/17, a drop of five per cent compared to five years ago.

Of the 42,870 tonnes collected from homes in the city, 17,576 was recycled.

In neighbouring Dumfries and Galloway, just 27 per cent of waste was recycled last year.

This is far less than the 40 per cent of waste sent to landfill.

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Those figures in full

Cumbria:

:: Amount of waste recycled, reused or composted in 2016/17 – 45 per cent

:: This was one per cent less than during 2011/12

:: It means a total of 273,151 tonnes of rubbish was collected in the county last year

:: The target set by the government means Cumbria must recycle 50 per cent of all waste by 2020

:: An estimated eight million metric tons of plastic waste enters the ocean every year

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Thousands of tonnes of plastic waste expected this Christmas

Plastic packaging weighing more than the equivalent of 3.3 million emperor penguins will be thrown away this Christmas, campaigners have warned.

Some 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will end up in the bin – and not recycled – over the festive period, according to Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of animal welfare and environmental charities.

In addition, they estimate about 88 square kilometres – or 34 square miles – of wrapping paper will be used this year, and the UK will also go through 300,000 tonnes of card packaging this Christmas.

The charities, which include Friends of the Earth, the RSPCA, the National Trust and the Wildlife Trusts, are raising the issue of plastic waste in particular, as it degrades slowly and is causing damage to oceans and marine wildlife.

The damage being done to the world's oceans by plastic was highlighted in the BBC's flagship nature series Blue Planet II .

The public can do their bit for the environment by recycling as much plastic, glass, paper, card, metal, foil and wood this Christmas as they can, the groups have said.

Louise Edge, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace, said: "Christmas is the time of year when you can really see just how much plastic packaging there is, and how little of it is genuinely useful.

"Manufacturers and retailers say that's what we want – lots of brightly-coloured mixed-material packaging made with virgin plastic.

"But as Blue Planet has shown us, plastic packaging isn't just for Christmas, it's for life."