Green residents in Barnet have proved their commitment to composting, with the borough named among the best in London.

Figures released by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show the borough’s composting rate was the fourth highest rate in the capital in the last financial year.

17,876 tonnes, or more than 12 per cent, of Barnet waste was composted, with 30.69 per cent of all waste was recycled.

Household waste that goes to landfill produces methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and costs Barnet Council £32 per tonne in landfill tax.

Councillor Andrew Harper, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “Here in Barnet we take great pride in providing a range of waste and recycling services to our residents with the aim of reducing, re-using and recycling our rubbish wherever possible.

“Many of our residents have taken up the opportunity of having a green bin, and they are obviously being well used, as an impressive 12 per cent of our rubbish is being sent for composting.

“My message to residents is 'keep up the good work'.”

The figure represent the amount of waste collected through the green garden and kitchen waste service.

The true figure of recycled household waste is likely to be even higher because it does not take into account waste composted by residents in home composters and wormeries.

However, councillor Kath McGuirk, environment spokeswoman for the opposition Labour group, said there is still a long way to go for the council to achieve its stringent recycling and composting targets.

“With the amount of big gardens in the borough even Barnet council couldn't screw up an increase in composting,” she said. “But they'll still have to increase the composting tonnage by over 30 per cent to meet this year's recycling/composting target.

“In the meantime still too many residents in the borough have no recycling facility easily available to them that does not involve a car journey - they should be addressing that.”

A pilot project being carried out in 8,500 homes across the borough is trialling the use of kitchen 'caddies', which allow residents to throw kitchen waste in a small container in their kitchen, before decanting the contents into their bigger green wheeled bin.

If the pilot project is deemed a success, the scheme will be put in place across Barnet.