PEOPLE who leave contaminated rubbish or unrecyclable material in their black bins have been partially blamed for a council’s disappointing standing in a green league table.

The percentage of waste being reused, recycled or composted rose by 0.1 per cent in East Hampshire during the last financial year, according to government figures.

But East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) remains in the bottom quarter for recycling authorities in the South East, with their neighbours in Winchester and Havant faring little better.

The latest DEFRA figures make disappointing reading for the green brigade as they show the annual recycling rate has fallen for the first time in the South East since modern records began.

The regional figure has fallen from 45 per cent to 44.5 per cent over the last financial year with South Oxfordshire leading the way on 66.6 per cent.

Lewes District Council is bottom of the pile on 21.5 per cent but EHDC only finished 54 out of 73 with 32.7 per cent while Winchester (34.6) and Havant (28.6) finished 52nd and 63rd, respectively.

The long-term picture is just as disappointing as the recycling rate hovered around the 37 per cent mark in the East Hampshire and Winchester districts just five year ago.

Disposal contracts haven’t helped while a reduction in the amount of paper collected has also contributed towards the decrease.

But some residents add to the problems by putting inappropriate waste in their recycling bins, with checks being introduced next year.

“Rising contaminated loads have not helped the recycling rate within East Hampshire and that is why we are urging our residents to keep their recycling up with our Recycle Right campaign,” said a spokesman for EHDC.

“We are committed to increasing the awareness and understanding of what can be recycled through the kerbside collections.

“In the past 12 months we have installed new vehicle livery on the Biffa collection trucks with new ‘Recycle Right’ branding to reinforce the message that recycling must be clean, dry and loose in the recycling bins.

“Residents have all been sent their annual collection calendar, accompanied by a pink ‘Recycle Right’ leaflet.

“We will also be increasing contamination checks over the coming months to measure how successful this communication has been and will continue to push the message on social media over the next year.”