FIFTY new rubbish and re-cycling bins will be installed in the centre of Oxford as the city attempts to jump-start its green credentials.

For the first time, shoppers and tourists will be able to recycle some of the 600 tonnes of rubbish thrown into city centre bins each year.

By the end of November, 27 dual rubbish and recycling bins, six recycling-only containers and a further 17 new waste bins will replace existing bins in the city centre including Cornmarket Street, St Aldate’s and High Street.

They will take paper, tins, cans, plastic bottles and cardboard.

The overall number of city centre bins will remain the same at 160 and the old bins will be relocated to other parts of Oxford.

And at a cost of £60,000 – more than £1,000 a bin – Oxford City Council hopes the move will boost its recycling rate above 50 per cent. It has stayed at 38 per cent for the last two years.

The scheme is part of the council’s Cleaner Greener Oxford campaign.

John Tanner, the councillor responsible for the initiative, said: “Shoppers are very good at putting litter in the bins in the city centre and we are now asking them to recycle their litter.”

The council lags behind the leading Oxfordshire councils.

Cherwell District Council recycles 51 per cent and South Oxfordshire District Council leads the way with a rate of 71 per cent.

Mr Tanner said the new-style city centre bins could be deployed in city suburbs if successful. He added: “We would like to expand the scheme but we are short of money.”

The Cleaner Greener Campaign, backed by the Oxford Mail, was launched in November 2009 and has so far targeted litter in Blackbird Leys, the city centre and East Oxford. Last month, the Oxford Mail revealed the scale of the rubbish problem facing street cleaners in Gloucester Green from late-night revellers.

Earlier this month, council street cleaning teams cleared rubbish from the Oxford bypass as part of a three-week programme.

The council has also targeted fly-posting and graffiti and brought in measures to fine children as young as 10 for littering.

This month it introduced a new recycling scheme for homes, providing one blue bin for all items.