A PLANT which recycles the county’s food waste has won a top award.

Agrivert’s Cassington plant has won an Environment Award at The Green Apple Awards.

The Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant breaks the waste down to produce methane which is burnt to generate electricity and fertiliser.

Last year it treated 15,600 tonnes of waste to generate enough power for about 4,200 homes.

The plant was commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council in 2009 in a bid to cut down on landfill waste and opened the following year.

Cabinet member for growth and infrastructure Hilary Hibbert-Biles said: “The AD plant at Cassington has been a real game-changer in opening up an entirely new way of dealing with food waste, creating green energy and helping the local economy.”

The proportion of county household waste recycled and composted rose from 55 per cent in 2010/11 to 60 per cent last year, while landfill fell from 133,357 to 123,211 tonnes.

She added: “Thanks to the effort of our residents, Oxfordshire has one of the highest recycling rates in the country.”

Agrivert chief executive Alexander Maddan said: “All districts in Oxfordshire have had tremendous success with their organics recycling.”

The awards are organised by environmental group The Green Organisation and will be presented in the Houses of Parliament on Monday, November 12.