Residents have cut the amount of rubbish they produce by more than half a kilo per household per week, helping save the council about £300,000 a year.

The saving, in waste disposal costs, would help keep council tax bills low, a Wandsworth Council spokesman said.

The council launched its campaign, less in the bin, more in your pocket, last summer and new figures show that the amount of rubbish collected in the year up to April 2010 went down by more than three million kilos.

The council's environment spokesman, Councillors Sarah McDermott, said: “Well done Wandsworth, this is fantastic news. We want people to recycle more, but producing less waste in the first place is even better. This has helped the environment and saved council taxpayers’ money.”

The campaign promised that one kilo a week less per household would save half a million pounds a year, and the council said it was now well on the way to achieving this.

In April the cost of disposing of residual waste increased from £90 a tonne to £107 a tonne. This means potential savings have gone up since the campaign was launched.

Simple ways to cut the amount of rubbish you produce include reducing food waste and home composting. For information visit wandsworth.gov.uk/save.