The covered facility is more than twice the size of the previous recycling centre at Dogsthorpe and incorporates split level access and better traffic flow.

Since its opening 800 more tonnes of rubbish has been reused, recycled or composted compared to the samer time period at Dogsthorpe.

Councillor Marco Cereste, Peterborough City Council's cabinet member for waste and street scene, said: “Our aim was to push our recycling rate above 70 per cent, and the investment we made in this facility has boosted the recycling to 73 per cent putting us nearer to our zero waste aspirations. Not only that, there has been over 1,000 less instances of fly-tipping in the city.

“The household recycling centre is customer friendly, easy to use, open all year round and is free. I would encourage residents with re-usable items, recycling, garden waste or rubbish to continue to make good use of it.”

Steve Longdon, regional director for FCC Environment, which operates the facility on behalf of the council, added: “We are delighted with how this purpose designed site has been welcomed by the community and the results in terms of recycling and fly tipping speak for themselves.

“But we are always looking to improve further so we would urge residents to share their views. And in the meantime, we look forward to continuing to welcome residents and help them to recycle even more.”

The council is also seeking feedback on the HRC so we can look to make it an even better experience for residents. Feedback forms are available at the HRC, Peterborough Town Hall in Bridge Street or can be completed online here.

The HRC is for Peterborough residents to dispose of their household waste that is unable to go in their kerbside collection. This includes electrical goods, paint, garden waste, batteries, TVs, textiles and clothes. A full list of acceptable recycling is available at the website.

Use of the recycling centre is free for residents using a car, however anyone using a van or trailer to dispose of waste, will need to apply for a free permit online.

The HRC is open 8am to 4pm Monday to Sunday in the Autumn/Winter (October to March), and 8am to 6pm in Spring/Summer (April to September).