More rubbish has been recycled this year but the amount collected by the council is still short of its target.

The council recycled 52.3 per cent of the waste it collected in 2015 – up from 50.7 per cent in 2014.

But the authority wants to recycle more than 60 per cent of waste it collects.

St Albans District Council cut the amount of rubbish dumped in landfill by 911 tonnes last year.

Councillor Daniel Chichester-Miles, the council’s portfolio holder for the environment, said: “The rise in the recycling rate is excellent news, but it is work in progress.

“This year our ambition is to increase the rate even further and reach our 60% target. We have a number of initiatives lined up for this year, including a new collection system that will encourage more recycling.

“There will be more campaigning and educational programmes together with the new street sweeping methods that have been so successful.

“Recycling is very important for the environment and financially. We are showing our commitment by making it one of our top priorities.”

In the last six months of the year, an extra 1,344 tonnes of recyclable food and garden waste was collected, compared to the first six months.

More than 902 tonnes of street sweepings, which historically went to landfill, were also taken to a specialist treatment plant.

That allowed 675 tonnes to be recycled and the remainder, 227 tonnes, was used for landfill restoration and recovery projects.