HOUSEHOLDS across Oxfordshire are sending around a quarter less waste to landfill than they did a decade ago - thanks to increased levels of recycling.

Oxfordshire County Council, the waste disposal authority, is dumping less waste per person than it did in 1998, according to new figures released by the Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

On average, each Oxfordshire resident sent 350kg of waste to landfill in 2006/07, compared with 446kg in 1998/99 - a 21.5 per cent reduction.

Chris Cousins, head of sustainable development at Oxfordshire County Council, said: "We have the second lowest waste per head of any county in the country and outperform all our nearest neighbours.

"We are one of the best in the country for recycling and composting, with recycling rates currently of over 40 per cent.

"Public pressure is leading to reductions in sources of waste such as excess packaging - something that it is widely agreed would cut down on the amount of waste going to landfill."

From 2010, the county faces paying fines of £150 per tonne for going over its quota.

The cost of exceeding Government landfill targets by 20,000 tonnes would be £3m, or £13 a year on the council tax of a band D house.

Green city councillor Sid Phelps, chairman of the environment scrutiny committee, said: "People seem to think recycling is the be-all and end-all - but the best thing is to reduce what we use."

Jackie Walkden, of Oxford Friends of the Earth, said she was disappointed by the 21.5 per cent drop since 1999.

She said: "The reduction of waste being sent to landfill is less than a quarter, which I think is quite disappointing, considering the Government directive for local authorities to recycle more waste.

"Residents need to be aware that if they do not recycle more, they face increased council tax bills because landfill will soon be taxed."

Ms Walkden said consumers needed to put pressure on shops and suppliers to reduce packaging.

She said: "If people are dissatisfied, they have to make their feelings known.

"I think there is a lot more to be done."

In Oxford, households are entitled to six free bins to sort rubbish - with the option of paying for up to nine more.

Residents can have one wheelie bin for rubbish, two blue boxes and two green boxes for recycling and a green waste bag free of charge.

An additional two recycling boxes of each colour can be purchased and residents can also choose to pay for a blue wheelie bin and four extra green waste bags.

Last year, city council leader John Goddard wrote to city centre shops urging them to help make Oxford a plastic bag-free zone.