The amount of waste sent to landfill or incinerated per person in England has fallen to the lowest level in living memory, with food a key factor, according to new figures released by DEFRA.

A shift in public attitudes away from excessive living, a fall in construction waste, environmental groups and the Waste Resources and Action Programme (WRAP) projects are said to be key in the 10 per cent fall reported by local councils and waste management companies in recent months.

UK environmental charity Waste Watch estimates the fall could reduce waste production figures by 2.5 million tonnes in 2009, reports The Independent.

Recycling has also seen a surge in popularity, according to DEFRA’s statistics, with 36.3 per cent of Britons recycling last year, a 5.4 per cent increase. Research revealed that people in the East Midlands recycled 43.8 per cent of their waste, while London residents recycled considerably less at 27.5 per cent.

Experts believe a reduction in waste is down to a wider social shift, rather than the current economic problems.

The £10.2 billion of food waste thrown away each year has been a key point in the government’s focus with the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, launched by WRAP in November 2007, proving successful.

Last month it was announced that WRAP is working on a project, led by Cranfield University, to develop detailed resource maps to quantify food waste and packaging waste through the fresh fruit and vegetable retail and wholesale supply chain.

Mark Banks, waste strategy manager for Westminster City Council, said: "We collected 4.5 per cent less waste in the last year, which is 7,000 fewer tonnes of rubbish.

“This is common across the whole of Greater London - local authorities are reporting between a three per cent and 10 per cent drop in waste collection.”