Residents' rubbish is sent to four landfill sites in the county

Independent consultants have said that the landfilling of more than 75% of household rubbish by Oxfordshire County Council must come to an end.

The report by Enviros says that the council must be prepared to come into line with new EU laws on landfilling.

The authority's bosses say they will look for alternatives to the practice.

Oxfordshire must change the way its waste is managed Consultants' report

Adam Symons, the council's head of waste management, said: "Oxfordshire recycles more than most in the UK.

"However, what this report tells us is that, even if we recycle lots more, we will still have to find some other way of disposing of peoples' rubbish.

"Landfilling just can't go on."

The report itself emphasised that new legislation would prevent the landfilling of the majority of municipal waste.

Targets beaten

It said that the county "must change the way its waste is managed.

"Even if recycling targets are achieved by districts and the county, significant quantities of waste will still need to be diverted from landfill."

In 2003/4, more than 68,000 tonnes of the 296,000 tonnes of rubbish collected by councils across Oxfordshire was recycled or composted.

The 24% recycling rate topped the 22% target set last year by the government.