Moving up the green league

OLDHAM Council has been praised for its improving recycling rates — but has a long way to go to beat the leading “green” council.

Research by the lets recycle.com website puts Oldham Council in the top half of local authorities for recycling after rates rose from 15 per cent in 2006 to almost 40 per cent this year.

But South Oxfordshire topped the table after becoming the first council to recycle more than 70 per cent of residents’ rubbish.

The website for councils, business and the recycling sector said Oldham’s position was “something to be proud of” after previously languishing in the league table.

The survey shows the best performing local authorities are using fortnightly bin collections.

The controversial system has been criticised by the Tories who have urged a return to weekly bin rounds, but councils say alternate week collections work, are cheaper and that residents are generally happy with them.

More town halls are taking up the alternate-week system despite pledges in the past by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to reverse the move to “unpopular and unhygienic” fortnightly rubbish collections.

In its recent waste review, the Government admitted it would not be forcing councils to switch back to weekly collections.

Oldham now recycles around 30,000 tonnes of waste a year. Boosting recycling rates across the borough has saved the council in the region of £2million a year, mostly in landfill fees.