COUNCIL officers have been left baffled by a significant rise in the amount of waste being produced by Swindon households.

In the 2012/13 financial year, the average household produced 463kgs of rubbish but in the 2013/14 that figure rose to 524kgs, according to statistics from the Govern-ment department Defra.

This represents a rise of 13.2 per cent and comes after several years of decline in the amount of waste produced by households in the town.

The figures are not affected by the green waste charge which came into effect earlier this year.

Coun Brian Ford, the cabinet member with responsibility for Swindon Borough Council’s StreetSmart services, said: “We are aware of the change but cannot explain it. I have instructed officers to look into the reasons.

“We are working on plans for more education, especially around green waste.

“We are trying to work with schools and spread more information.”

One reason given for the previous decline in waste was residents having less money to spend as a result of the recession but with the economic climate picking up, residents have more to spend.

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson said: “As consumer spending increases with the improved economy, we would expect to see the level of waste go up.

“But through the council’s investment in the RDF plant, 95 per cent of waste put in wheelie bins can be recycled.”

Talis Kimberly-Fairbourn, of the Green Party, believes there needs to be a wider change in attitudes towards throwing out rubbish.

The Wroughton resident said: “It’s got to come down to educating people which maybe the council has fallen behind with.

“Swindon is urbanised and apart from a few areas, there are built-up areas everywhere, so I think people don’t have a wider sense of the environment. A lot of people throw stuff away because it is quicker.

“They have to get to work and start their shift so it is easier just to throw stuff out.

“And the austerity measures mean people often look for the cheaper option.

“For example, if you are throwing a party then it might be cheaper to use polystyrene cups than china but this just passes the cost further down the chain.

“The recycling centre at Cheney Manor is fantastic but often people can’t drive there.

“There are a number of things people can do. Always carry a cloth bag so you don’t have to use plastic bags. Try to buy loose fruit which doesn’t come in containers.

“We live in a society where people throw things away when they could get them repaired or hand them down.”