ABOUT a quarter of household waste going to landfill in North Oxfordshire could be recycled, council bosses have said.

A Cherwell District Council manager said about 57 per cent of waste is recycled in a year but this figure could potentially be as high as 80 per cent.

Head of environmental services Ed Potter explained that residents are putting too much rubbish in their green bins for general waste, with an estimated 12,000 tonnes going to landfill a year that could be recycled. This includes 1,000 tonnes of glass, 4,000 tonnes of ‘dry’ recyclables and up to 7,000 tonnes of food waste.

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In a report to the council’s executive, Mr Potter said: “The challenge over the next few years is to develop and implement successful strategies to divert as much as possible of this 12,000 tonnes into the food waste bins, the dry recycling bins and bring banks [for glass].

“If half this waste could be diverted then the cost of the service could be reduced by a further £180,000 a year.

“Persuading those residents who are still reluctant to recycle much and encouraging residents to recycle even more of their waste will be difficult.”

Mr Potter said that through communication to residents, it should be possible to boost the recycling rate beyond 60 per cent over the next three years.

The executive will consider the report at a meeting on Monday.

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