The proportion of household waste sent for recycling in East Cambridgeshire fell last year, figures show.

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy said a simpler recycling system is needed as England falls “further and further” behind its European neighbours.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures show 30,943 tonnes of waste were collected and disposed by East Cambridgeshire District Council in the year to March 2023.

Of this, 16,479 tonnes were sent for reuse, recycling, or composting – meaning the area had a recycling rate of 55.0 per cent.

It was down from the year before when 56.6 per cent of household waste was sent for recycling.

Across England, the recycling rate also fell from 42.5 per cent in 2021-22 to 41.7 per cent last year.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "It is disappointing to see our recycling rates falling at a time when we should be doing more than ever to stop valuable materials being buried or burned.

We are falling further and further behind some of our neighbours in Europe. In Germany, 71 per cent of municipal waste is recycled and Slovenia has seen recycling rates increase from 22 per cent in 2010 to 60 per cent in 2021."

She added producers need to make it easier for people by using packaging that can be recycled in kerbside bin collections alongside a simpler recycling system.

Despite the overall reduction in waste collected from households, she said the amount of rubbish generated per person must be "dramatically cut".

"We will do this by reducing the amount of 'stuff' we buy and repairing or reusing what we already own," she added.

Overall, total local authority managed waste in England decreased by six per cent to 24.5 million tonnes in the recent year.

A spokesperson for East Cambridgeshire District Council said the council would not be commenting on the figures.