The recession has led Streatham residents to throw away less, according to Lambeth Council.

New statistics show families in Lambeth are throwing away 80 tonnes less rubbish each week compared to the same time last year.

Lambeth’s waste crews are currently collecting an average around 1,860 tonnes of waste from the borough each week, around 5 per cent less than the same time last year.

The council believes the figures are evidence people are being more careful about what they buy and what they throw away following the onset of the economic downturn.

Doug Perry, head of waste management at Lambeth Council said the drop in waste production was likely to be because people were more careful about what they buy week to week, for example making sure they are not wasting food.

He said it was also likely more people were choosing to repair items such as clothes instead of buying new ones and throwing the old ones away.

A surge in people requesting advice about local swap schemes has also been seen, he added.

He said: “We think people are getting back to some old fashioned principles about not being wasteful and making the most of everything they buy.”

• What do you think? Are you being more frugal during the recession? Let us know in the comments section below.