The majority of waste in Kingston is now being recycled as Kingston Council (RBK) announced a new borough record for waste recycling.

According to RBK, 52 per cent of waste in the borough was recycled between April and July this year.

The latest data showed a marked increase in the percentage of waste that's now being designated for reuse in the borough.

During the previous period, 49.4 per cent of its waste recycled between April 2018 and March 2019, RBK said.

"The amount of waste sent to landfill or energy recovery reduced by 3 per cent last year — representing around 900 tonnes — and residents recycled and composted 1,200 tonnes more than the year before.

"Not only is this better for the environment, it has also meant avoiding costs of around £200,000 in total," a council spokesperson said.

Nevertheless, the high amount of food wasted in the borough remains an issue yet to be resolved in Kingston.

More than half of all watse in household bins — the majority of which is food — is thrown away in the borough even though it could have been recycled under the weekly South London Waste Partnership.

Commenting on the data, Environment and Sustainable Transport Portfolio Holder Hillary Gander welcomed the news.

She also offered some suggestions for how residents can improve their recycling habits regarding food.

"This is an excellent achievement which highlights our commitment as a borough to encourage everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle.

"I wish to thank all our residents for their support so far and would encourage everyone to do their bit.

"We know we can do more and will continue to work hard to encourage and help our communities to recycle more.

"We know particularly that our food recycling rate could be even higher and this will be one of our areas of focus in the coming months.

"Cutting down on avoidable food waste, or composting at home has the greatest impact — if you don’t already do so, please order a food waste container for leftovers and start using it every week," Cllr Gander said.