The local authority has increased its recycling rate by 1.3% to 62.9%.
The council also topped last year’s league table with a 61.6% recycling rate.
In 2022/23, the council overtook Three Rivers district council which recorded a recycling rate of 61.5%. In the latest statistics, Three Rivers saw a slight increase of 0.4% to 61.9% and remains in second place on the table.
Stratford-upon-Avon had the third highest recycling rate in England at 61.0%. The local authority has jumped up two places on the table after seeing a 1% increase from the previous year and has knocked Vale of White Horse district council out of the top three.
The overall average rate for England was 42.3%, a 0.6% increase from 2022/23.
A total of 10 authorities had household waste recycling rates that sat at 60% or higher – up from five in 2022/23.
Organic waste
Defra’s statistic also included figures on how much of the local authority’s total recycling consisted of organic waste.
For South Oxfordshire, organic waste made up 60.5% of their total household recycling tonnage.
In Three Rivers this figure sat at 52.4% and in Stratford-upon-Avon it was 64.2%.
‘A testament to residents’ commitment to recycling’
Paul Fielding, head of housing and environment at South Oxfordshire district council, celebrated the area’s success: “We’re incredibly proud to top the recycling tables for the second year running, achieving a remarkable 62.9% recycling rate for 2023/24 and a decade in the national top five. This success is a real testament to our residents’ continued commitment to recycling and our successful partnership with our waste contractor Biffa.
“Last year, we launched a new waste strategy and changed our focus to ‘Rethink Waste’. We are now prioritising more sustainable waste management and working to support our residents to reduce, reuse, repair, refill and rehome items, rather than looking to recycle as the go-to option.”
Lowest household recycling rate
At the other end of the table, London Borough of Tower Hamlets remains the local authority with the lowest recycling rate in England at 15.8% – a decrease of 1.9% from 17.7% in 2022/23.
It also had the lowest proportion of organic waste at 8.3%.
Liverpool city council remains as the second lowest on the table with a recycling rate of 19.2% – an increase of 1.3% from 17.9% in 2022/23.
The Royal Borough of Kensington dropped four places to now round off the bottom three with a recycling rate of 22.2% (a decrease of 0.9%).
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