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Government must boost UK's recycling industry
8 September 2008
In response to ITV Tonight's recycling investigation, Friends of the Earth's Resource Use Campaigner, Michael Warhurst said:
"The Government has let householders down by massively cutting funding to support the UK's recycling industry and failing to ensure that exported materials are properly recycled."
"The Government must step up its efforts to boost recycling to help us to get the most out of the world's finite natural resources - and make sure that our waste doesn't mount up here or on the other side of the world."
"Recycling should be separated at the kerbside to produce materials which are high quality and more likely to be recycled in the UK."
Notes
1. WRAP's budgets have been cut by 30% in the past year.
2. Collecting separated recyclables is the best way to make sure materials are recycled in this country. For more information see the campaign for real recycling http://www.realrecycling.org.uk/
3. There are currently no legal requirements on the waste industry to enforce health, social and environmental standards for exported recyclable materials.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Sep 2008
