RESIDENTS of North Somerset are now recycling 60 per cent of their rubbish according to a report from the council.

North Somerset Council’s report highlights a series of achievements with the authority’s waste and recycling service, which includes a saving of �8million in landfill tax over the past six years.

The government’s Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, which requires councils to hold a permit for each tonne of biodegradable waste that is sent to the landfill, means the council has not had to purchase any permits or pay any fines.

This financial incentive, together with the rising cost of landfill tax, led the council to make a series of improvements to waste services, which will be outlined in the document it will present to the council’s executive on Tuesday.

Residents are now recycling 60 per cent of their rubbish, which is up from 20 per cent in 2006, and the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfills has fallen by 70 per cent.

The improvements over the last few years have included a garden waste collection service and the Recycling Revolution which introduced a weekly collection of food waste and kerbside recycling.