Gloucestershire residents can and should reduce, reuse and recycle more, says the county council, after a study of ‘black bag’ waste showed recyclable materials like paper, clothes and food waste are ending up in landfill or the Gloucestershire energy-from-waste facility.

Cllr Nigel Moor, cabinet member for environment and planning, said: “We work hard with our district council partners to promote and increase recycling rates, but we need residents to work with us to reduce waste and push our recycling rates up even higher.

"This will ensure we continue to have the capacity to process black bag waste and more importantly, keep up the our fight against climate change.

"The current county recycling level is 50 per cent, but as a county we need to do better to protect the environment and deal with our waste more sustainably to improve the environment.

"All district councils offer kerbside recycling services, which the county council helps to fund and most residents live within easy reach of a household recycling centre.

"This means recycling is easy and accessible for most people. The county council aims to hit a 70 per cent recycling rate eventually – and has made it clear that, if this isn’t achieved, the Javelin Park facility risks being too small for all of Gloucestershire’s predicted black bag waste."

He continued: “Without Javelin Park this waste would be landfilled, creating CO2 contributing to climate change so as a ‘treatment’ method of ‘black bag’ waste it’s a better option.

"However, this survey shows there is still scope for Gloucestershire residents to help us do more.”

To find out how residents can reduce, reuse and recycle there is information available at recycleforgloucestershire.com