IT CAN only be good news that Oxford has posted its highest every recycling rate in October.

Although, one swallow does not a summer make and to claim success this achievement needs to be repeated over a prolonged period.

However, it seems to prove that recent changes to the service – the weekly collection of food waste and the new blue bins that can take a wider range of recyclables – have given the city’s flatlining recycling rate the shot in the arm it needed.

So both Oxford City Council and residents must be congratulated.

Councillor John Tanner, the man leading the city’s recycling campaign, admits Oxford’s efforts have been faltering for a couple of years and lag behind the leading districts such as Cherwell and South Oxfordshire.

And Jean Fooks, the councillor who fielded so much flak for introducing alternate weekly waste collections in Oxford back in 2007, is right – and qualified – to ask why.

It has taken major investment in service improvements to boost the recycling effort, let’s hope the looming council funding cuts do not dent the city’s green credentials.

The city council plans to charge for garden waste collections from April, and residents must do all they can to keep up the good work.