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

Kerbside recycling teams collected more than 20,500 tonnes of cans and glass bottles in the county, compared with nearly 17,900 tonnes during the same period last year.

The figures mean that over the Christmas period, a little more than a quarter of all household waste was either composted or recycled, up from 19 per cent in the previous year.

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 Christmas trees 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, the council's 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.

"This is a great effort, and shows that people do care for their environment."