WORCESTER residents are among the very best in the entire country at recycling their household rubbish, the Government has confirmed.

Newly released national recycling league tables show Worcester is ranked sixth out of all England's 394 local authority areas when it comes to recycling household waste, with residents recycling more than 34 per cent in 2007/08.

New figures also reveal Worcester people produce less household waste than almost anybody else – last year’s average of 326 kg per household was the 11th-lowest of any council.

However, the Government's league tables for councils’ composting services tell a very different story. With no separate system for collecting green waste, Worcester is languishing 13th from bottom out of the 394 authorities.

The city council's head of cleaner and greener Mike Harrison said: “Worcester residents are recycling more and throwing away less, which is cutting down the waste which goes to landfill.

“I would like to thank our staff and all the residents of Worcester for their commitment to ensuring our city stays clean and green.”

The high recycling rates are saving the city some much-needed money – landfill taxes cost councils about £25 per household per year, with rates set to rise significantly next year.

“Sending less to landfill can only be of benefit to the taxpayer,” Mr Harrison said.

But pressure is mounting on Worcester and its neighbouring councils to focus their efforts on collecting food and garden waste.

A countywide policy not to collect green waste means five of the country's worst 13 council areas for composting last year were in Worcestershire.

John Bond, the city council's environmental protection officer, said: “The reason our green waste recycling is so low (0.05 per cent) is that we don't collect it, in common with every other district in the county bar Bromsgrove. The county council is unable to process the volume of green waste we would collect. This situation is under review.”