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Britain's recycling record - a load of rubbish, says friends of the earth
26 March 1998
New recycling figures from the Audit Commission show that Britain's recycling record remains “a load of rubbish”, according to Friends of the Earth. More than 25 Councils recycle less than 2% of their waste. The worst performers in the country are Ribble Valley,Lancashire (1.1%), Wansbeck, Northumberland (0.9%), NE Derbyshire (0.8%), and top of the rancid roll-call of rubbish, the City of London (0.4%).
Even the best-performing council in the country (Castle Morpeth, Northumberland) recycled only just over 30% of its waste, while Nurnburg, Germany manages 50% and several Canadian towns over 60%. The chances of hitting the Government's 25% target by the year 2000 (set in 1990) are remote.
Because of the volatility of paper prices on global markets, some collection schemes are struggling for viability. FOE is demanding that the Government support the Recycled Content of Newsprint Bill currently proposed. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown gave no extra resources for recycling in last week's Budget, and failed to extend the landfill tax to include other forms of waste disposal, including incineration. A waste tax, as proposed by Friends of the Earth, could create jobs and encourage recycling.
The Department of Environment is now proposing a policy (Planning Policy Guidance:Waste Disposal and Management (PPG10) - Final Draft, February 1998) - against public opinion, European policy and ministers' statements - stating that no preference should be given to recycling above incineration.
One ray of sunshine pierces the rising mountain of British rubbish. In London a 40% target(excluding energy recovery) has been set for 2005, and a 5-year moratorium has been placed on incineration, to help recycling to develop.
Dr Anna Thomas, recycling campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“Britain's record on recycling remains a load of rubbish. People want to recycle but they won't get adequate facilities without Government action. Gordon Brown missed a golden opportunity to take action in last week's budget. Now, a good start would be a categoric policy statement that recycling should be preferred to incineration.”
[1] Local Authority Performance Indicators, 1996/7 - Audit Commission.
Top ten recycling councils
| Castle Morpeth (Northumberland) | 31.9% |
| Croydon (Greater London) | 21.1% |
| Sutton (Greater London) | 20.6% |
| Chiltern (Bucks) | 20.2% |
| Adur (West Sussex) | 21.7% |
| South Bucks | 19.8% |
| Tandridge (Surrey) | 18.8% |
| Mid Sussex | 18% |
| East Dorset | 17% |
| Bexley (Greater London) | 17% |
Bottom ten recycling councils (equal tenth and eleventh place)
| Derwentside (Durham) | 1.5% |
| Wear Valley (Durham) | 1.5% |
| Alnwick (Northumberland) | 1.4% |
| Blyth Valley (Northumberland) | 1.4% |
| Corby (Northamptonshire) | 1.4% |
| Knowsley (Merseyside) | 1.3% |
| Chester-le-Street (Durham) | 1.3% |
| Ribble Valley (Lancs) | 1.1% |
| Wansbeck (Northumberland) | 0.9% |
| NE Derbyshire | 0.8% |
| City of London | 0.4% |
If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.
Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
