Wandsworth residents can cut their council tax bills if they recycle more and reduce the amount of domestic rubbish they produce.

A deal between Wandsworth Council Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA) - the organisation that disposes of the borough's waste - means the less waste delivered for processing, the less the council will be charged in disposal costs.

Under current rates, the cost of disposing of a tonne of refuse is around £90, but from 2010, this cost will rise to £110.

The cost of processing a tonne of recycled waste is currently £67, and this is expected to increase to around £69 by 2010.

A council spokesman said: “There are now clear financial incentives for our residents to reduce the amount of household waste they produce.

If they are able to leave out fewer refuse sacks for collection, then the council as a whole will be charged less in disposal costs and these savings will be passed on directly to households in lower council tax bills.

Currently residents in Wandsworth produce around 100,000 tonnes of household waste every year Every single tonne we can knock off that amount will save taxpayers around £100.

And every tonne of waste that can be recycled instead of being disposed of will save over £40.

These new arrangements are great news for local taxpayers. Producing less waste is now not just good news for the environment, it is good news for purses and wallets too.”

Of the 100,000 tonnes of waste produced by Wandsworth residents each year, 26 per cent of that total is currently being recycled.

For more information on how to reduce household waste and tips on recycling visit wandsworth.gov.uk/wastemanagement.