Lincolnshire residents are sending more to landfill than they did 10 years ago – despite large increases in recycling rates.

New figures reveal each person in Lincolnshire is responsible for more than half a tonne of waste poured into the dump each year.

On average we each produce an extra 72kg of rubbish per year which ends up in landfill – 15 per cent more than a decade ago.

And that is despite Lincolnshire households being among the greenest in the country when it comes to recycling.

The figures, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, show in 1998/99 Lincolnshire people sent 461kg to landfill, compared to 533kg in 2006/07.

This is because while recycling rates have gone up, the amount of waste produced has increased too.

It comes at a time when the price of landfill and the threat of EU fines is putting big financial pressures on local authorities.

As reported in the Echo, Lincolnshire's councils plan to increase their 2015 recycling target from 50 per cent to 55 per cent because recent efforts have been so successful.

For more on Lincolnshire's recycling rates and landfill waste, see Friday's Lincolnshire Echo.