WORCESTER'S recycling rate has been lambasted as "terrible" by one city councillor - who wants more effort put into increasing it.

Councillor Lynn Denham says the 37 per cent of all household waste which goes in the green bin - a rate which has levelled off in recent years - could and should be better.

Her criticism has been rejected by Worcester City Council, which says making comparisons with other parts of the country is unfair because many other areas include food waste in their figures.

Councillor Denham said: "When you look at the recycling of household waste, that is something where there are national comparators - we've met our own 'target' of (beating) 36 per cent but it is not a case for self-congratulation at all.

"Last month a report for England had the average at 45 per cent - this puts us well, well below that average and really quite pathetic.

"There's an EU target to reach 50 per cent of all household waste by 2020, that's only five years away - we need to ask the cabinet to look at ways to achieve better because 36 per cent is terrible."

Speaking during a meeting of the performance, management and budget scrutiny committee, the council's head of the cleaner and greener department, David Sutton, said comparisons are hard to make.

He said Worcester's figure is just for "dry recyclables" whereas others lump in food waste and even garden rubbish.

"On dry recycling, we are faring very well - historically Worcester has performed really well with a kerbside collection service which is regarded as very easy to use," he insisted.

He also said the council is the "waste collection authority", saying that as the county council disposes of it, the responsibility is two-pronged.

"They take the lead on disposal and recycling," he said.

"You've all seen the 'Love Food, Hate Waste campaign' - it's reducing the rubbish sent to landfill where the real benefits are."

It was also raised during a cabinet meeting this week, where the Mayor of Worcester Councillor Roger Knight called the comparisons "fictitious".

He said it would not make environmental sense to send out extra refuse bins to collect items like compost, when people can do it at home.

"It's really about changing people's behaviour," he said.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, the leader, said: "I remember the days when recycling was pretty limited - now you can put glass in there and all sorts of things.

"I think it's about promoting just how much you can recycle now."

Landfill taxes have doubled since 2008, largely due to EU diktats, and now cost Worcestershire and Herefordshire taxpayers a combined £10 million a year.

The city council has considered launching food waste collections in recent years but abandoned it due to the set-up costs being estimated at £500,000.

The rate of 37 per cent is above Malvern, where it is hovering at 31 per cent, but below Wychavon's 45 per cent.