HOUSEHOLDS celebrated a green Christmas in County Durham last year after figures show record levels of recycling during the festive period.

Over Christmas and New Year, kerbside recycling teams collected more than 20,500 tonnes of cans and glass bottles in the county, compared with under 17,900 tonnes during the same period the previous year.

The figures mean that at Christmas, just over a quarter of all household waste was either composted or recycled, up from 19 per cent.

Daniel O'Connor, Durham County Council's waste minimisation officer, said: "It was a bumper period for kerbside recycling in the county and in the Kerb-It collection areas, it was a record month for every authority.

"The high tonnages are a result of awareness campaigns such as stickers on bins, street canvassing, bus advertisements, the schools' pledge scheme and a Christmas Waste awareness campaign."

As part of the campaign, people who recycled their Christmas tree were entered in a prize draw.

The winners were Mr R Harnett, from Belmont, who won a fleece jacket made from recycled plastic bottles, Darren Brown, from Easington Colliery, who won an energy saving wind-up torch and Mr Jenkinson, from Newton Hall, who won an energy-saving wind-up radio.

Councillor Brian Myers, cabinet member for waste management, said: "The figures show that as well as knowing how to celebrate, people are being responsible about the waste they produce by using the kerbside recycling boxes."