Music festivals aren't always known for their green credentials - but one long-standing Oxfordshire extravaganza is hoping to buck the trend.

While Supergrass, the Levellers and Midge Ure hope to wow the crowd at this year's Fairport Cropredy Convention, Cherwell District Council hopes music fans will stop chucking their cans and bottles at the stage and instead throw them in specially provided bottle banks.

The three-day event, which takes place over the second weekend in August, is celebrating its 35th year in 2008 but this will be the first time the council's recycling team has become involved.

Cropredy, which was founded by folk legends Fairport Convention, takes place in the village of the same name - five miles north of Banbury - swelling its population from 680 to more than 20,000.

The council will also be working with Grundon Waste Management to issue all festival goers with a heavy-duty plastic sack for recycling and a second sack for non-recyclable waste.

In total, 24 mixed glass bottle banks will be provided in the main arena and campsites.

Between April 2007 and March 2008 the council achieved a recycling rate of 48 per cent and it is hoped by making appearances at summer events such as Cropredy, Bicester Town Carnival and Adderbury Party in the Park, it could boost its record even further.

District councillor George Reynolds, portfolio holder for community health and environment, said: "This is another great example of the way we are taking our recycling message out and about.

"Thanks to the excellent efforts of our residents, Cherwell's home recycling scheme is among the most effective in the country. Now we are focusing extra effort on making recycling easier for people when they are out and about too.

"This is a major event and we're hoping to recycle quite a lot of stuff which would otherwise be going to landfill. It will be interesting to see how successful it is. It's a great way to improve recycling and also to publicise the message.

"Perhaps next year we will have our own recycling band on stage."