The public have responded brilliantly to the call to increase recycling in most parts of Oxfordshire.

But councils are lagging badly behind in their methods of disposing of the waste their taxpayers save.

Once the recycling material has been collected, most of it has to be driven long distances - because we have few depots capable of handling it here.

Plans were in hand to launch a pilot scheme to collect food waste in East Oxford, but it has been halted because of the increasing cost of fuel.

We need places closer at hand where waste can be sorted, without the need for a fleet of lorries carting it to neighbouring counties and beyond.

Just think of the extra pollution they cause on these journeys.

The public are doing their bit - it is now time for our councils to catch up.