Oxfordshire at top of recycling table for eighth year

Oxfordshire County Council has once again been named the best performing county council waste disposal authority in England. In 2020-21, residents recycled, reused, or composted 59.5 per cent of their household waste, an increase on the previous year’s figure of 58.8 per cent, according to government figures.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “This is a really solid achievement and I want to thank the people of Oxfordshire, and our waste management teams, for all the work they have done to make this happen.

“The continuing Covid-19 pandemic has made it another very difficult year for everyone, so we appreciate the effort that has gone into keeping our recycling rates so high. However, over half of the waste that is thrown away could have been recycled, repaired or reused. The people of Oxfordshire understand the importance of local action when it comes to climate change and this is a great place to start.”

The total amount of household waste produced in Oxfordshire was 310,479 tonnes for 2020/2021. And 186,052 tonnes were reused, recycled and composted, which created a carbon benefit of 126,603 tonnes of CO2e compared to disposing of it through landfill.

Oxfordshire’s five district and city councils, which operate the kerbside collections, also achieved excellent results in their national categories. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse came second and fourth respectively, while West Oxfordshire, Cherwell, and Oxford City were all in the top performing 25 per cent.

Vicky Beechey, Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership Manager, said: “This is wonderful news, but we will certainly not be resting on our laurels as we know that more can be done to improve recycling, reuse, and composting rates even further. The Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership, made up of the district, city and county councils, has a target to increase recycling to 70 per cent by 2030.

“You can recycle your food waste so it can be turned into liquid fertiliser and used on local farmers’ fields to help grow more crops, pull the plug on emissions by recycling electricals, or search the Waste Wizard for help to get recyclable items in the right bin.

“We can all influence the recycling and waste we create and which bin we put it in, simply from our own homes. By taking action and recycling everything we can it would save another 60,000 tonnes of CO2e a year – the same climate impact as taking nearly 40,000 cars off the road.”

For those looking to reduce their waste further, the Community Action Group network and Replenish project have lots of opportunities to get involved with local schemes, and tips on how to reduce waste and improve their local environment.