Torfaen County Borough Council is aiming to retain its crown as the best recycling authority in South Wales next year by introducing new schemes to boost rates further.
The local authority is now recycling 42 per cent of waste which is already two per cent more than the Welsh Assembly's 2009-10 target.
This year has been declared a success with a further rollout of the successful Twin Bin scheme to 8,000 homes in areas like Trevethin and Pontypool.
The Council's recycling performance has also won praise from Environment Minister Jane Davidson and recycling mascot Dan Can the Super Recycler won a major award from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Earlier this year, Torfaen's recycling service hit a 700-tonne monthly recycling rate for the first time.
Torfaen Cleanstream Recycling, which works in partnership with Torfaen County Borough Council, says it is now recycling record levels.
In a bid to catch fly tippers, covert cameras were also introduced at recycling bank sites this year.
Now, the local authority is planning to rollout the final phase of its Twin Bin scheme to around 7,000 homes in February next year.
This phase will include areas like Blaenavon, Abersychan and Snatchwood and will mean that once rolled out 38,000 homes in Torfaen will be on the scheme where recycling is collected every week and household rubbish and kitchen and garden waste is collected on alternate weeks.
Other plans for 2009 include looking at ways of linking cardboard recycling with the Twin Bin scheme.
Currently, residents take their cardboard to recycling banks in the County Borough.
Councillor John Cunningham, Executive Member for Operational Services, said he expected recycling figures to receive a further boost when Twin Bin is rolled out in February next year.
"Thanks to residents' efforts, we are performing extremely well and I'm confident our recycling figures can continue to improve next year," he said.
"I hope residents will continue to embrace recycling and help protect the environment for future generations."
Newspapers and magazines, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, aerosols, tins and cans and textiles can be recycled in residents' black boxes.