Archived press release

Doorstep Recycling getting better, but still a long way to go

19 March 2004

Friends of the Earth's survey is the first time that data has been gathered from all local collection authorities on the scale and type of recycling doorstep collections offered in England. The results show:

• Doorstep recycling services are growing, with 94 per cent of local authorities now offering a doorstep collection for two or more materials (for example glass and paper) to some households.

• But only 90 local authorities (26 per cent) currently comply with the Household Waste Recycling Act's 2010 target, offering all their households a doorstep collection of at least two materials.

• On average local authorities serve 70 per cent of households with a doorstep collection of two or more materials.

• 'Best practice' doorstep collections are more scarce. Less than half (41 per cent) of local authorities provide a collection for five or more materials. Only 27 per cent of households on average are served with this type of collection.

Local authorities are being urged to follow Friends of the Earth's `best practice' code [3] to improve the collection service offered to householders and increase the number of households recycling. Measures include collecting a wider range of materials on a weekly basis, the provision of better information to householders and increased effort to reach out to `difficult' properties such as high-rise and rural dwellings.

Friends of the Earth waste campaigner Claire Wilton said:

"Doorstep recycling is increasing, but there is still a long way to go to improve England's feeble recycling record. Although more households have recycling collections than ever before, most of these fall short of what is required to tackle the huge mountain of waste produced. Some local authorities run excellent recycling schemes. These need to be copied across the country if England is to have a recycling record to be proud of."

Notes

[1] Friends of the Earth contacted every waste collection authority in England between September 2003 and February 2004. The response rate was 98% with results received from all but two local authorities. Detailed research findings for each English region can be found at:
www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/waste/news/doorstep_recycling_survey.html

[2] The Household Waste Recycling Act was introduced as a Private Members Bill by Joan Ruddock MP, and supported by Friends of the Earth. It was passed in October 2003.

Friends of the Earth's Recycling survey: results

TEN OF THE BEST

1. Daventry District Council - The council runs a sophisticated collection for 100% of its households: a weekly separated collection of dry recyclables alongside a fortnightly alternating refuse / compost collection. The scheme has catapulted Daventry to the top of the UK recycling league table.

2. Salford Metropolitan Borough Council - The council provides a collection of 6 materials to 100% of its households and separates the recycling on-street. Households have to opt-in. The participation rate is around 44%.

3. Lichfield District Council - Lichfield is the only authority in the West Midlands offering a collection of more than five materials to 100% of households. In fact, seven materials are collected separately each week. The collection is separated on-street and run in-house. It has an 80-90% participation rate.

4. London Borough of Barnet - The council uses ECT recycling (a not for profit company) to offer a 6 material weekly collection to 100% of its households. The collection is separated on-street. The participation rate is around 50%.

5. Wear Valley District Council - A council-operated collection of five materials is offered to 100% of households on a fortnightly basis, separated on-street.

6. Darlington Borough Council - The collection of 5 materials once a fortnight is offered to 100% of its households, with an estimated participation rate of 50-60%. The in-house operated collection is separated on-street.

7. St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council - The council offers a collection of six materials every fortnightly to 100% of households. The scheme is separated on-street and run by Cheshire Recycling.

8. Vale of White Horse District Council - A six material collection is offered every week to 100% of households and the participation rate is estimated at 74%. The materials are separated on-street and the scheme is operated by ECT recycling (a not for profit company).

9. West Oxfordshire District Council - ECT recycling offers a fortnightly five material collection to 100% of households. The separated scheme will expand to collect plastic bottles, aerosols, cardboard and batteries from April 04.

10. North Cornwall District Council - A seven material separated collection is offered to 100% of households fortnightly, operated by Cornwall Paper Company. The participation rate is 55%.

SOME OF THE WORST

1. Bromsgrove District Council - No doorstep collection is offered. The council is planning to introduce one between March 04 and January 05.

2. East Riding of Yorkshire - No doorstep collection is offered. There is a proposal to introduce a paper collection but the start date was not provided.

3. Warrington Borough Council - Only six per cent of households in Warrington get any kind of doorstep collection, and that just picks up paper - once a month. The scheme is run in-house.

4. Sheffield City Council - In April 2003, waste company Onyx introduced a doorstep collection of paper and cardboard which picks up just once a month. Households put out their mixed paper, magazines and cardboard in large (140 litre) wheelie bins. Sheffield 's recycling rate was just four per cent in 2002-3 one of the lowest in the country. Its doorstep scheme reached just nine per cent of households according to these figures, although Sheffield Council reported to us in January 2004 that they were reaching 85 per cent of properties with their scheme.

5. South Lakeland - SITA collects just one material, paper, from half the households in South Lakeland . The other half of households gets no collection.

6. Kettering Borough Council - Although Kettering offers a four material collection to some of its households, the vast majority - 89% - do not get any service at all.

7. City of London - The waste management company Bywaters collects paper and card mixed together from just 37% of City of London households.

8. Middlesbrough Borough Council - Only paper is collected in Middlesbrough (by Cheshire Recycling). The council acknowledges that it will need to catch up with other authorities by collecting more types of materials within the next year or so.

9. Liverpool City Council - Liverpool offers a collection of just one material, paper, and 15% of its households don't even get that.

REGIONAL LEAGUE TABLE

Percentage of authorities by region which provide doorstep recycling for at least two materials to every household in their area:

1. South East: 43%	2. North East: 39%	3. East Midlands: 33%
4. East of England: 29%	5. South West: 23%	6. West Midlands: 18%
7. London: 15%	8. North West: 9%	9. Yorks & Humber: 0%

1. South East

The South East performs best (43 per cent) in terms of two material collections, topping the table in complying with the Household Waste Recycling Act (HWRA). 83 per cent of households receive a collection of two or more materials (also the best regional figure. However, when it comes to multi-material collections the region does not perform nearly so well. Fewer local authorities (19%) offer collections of 5 or more materials than any other region. And only 15 per cent of households get access to these collections, (level with the North West and higher only than Yorkshire & the Humber). To improve recycling rates, the South East will need to collect a wider range of materials from more of its households.

2. North East

The North East recycles less than any other region: it's 2001-2 recycling rate was 5.2 per cent. But when it comes to doorstep collections, the region performs rather well. Almost all (96 per cent) authorities offer a collection of 2+ materials, and 49 per cent pick up 5+ materials - higher than average. The region's authorities also reach a high proportion of households (81 per cent) with their 2+ material collections - second only the South East. Overall, a healthy 39 per cent of authorities are already compliant with the HWRA, again second only to the South East. This implies that increasing participation is critical to lift the region's recycling rate. Local councils need to encourage more households to take part regularly in their schemes and capture more good quality material from each scheme.

3. East Midlands

The East Midlands performs above average in most cases. 97 per cent of authorities offer a collection of 2+ materials to some households, and 51per cent offer a collection of 5+ materials. 71per cent of households receive a 2+ material collection and 37 per cent receive a 5+ material collection. Overall, a third of authorities (33 per cent) already comply with the HWRA, putting this region 3^rd in the league table.

In Daventry (see 10 of the best, above), the region has an excellent example of best practice for doorstep recycling.

4. East of England

54 per cent of authorities in the East collect 5+ materials from some households, which is higher than the average (43 per cent). 94 per cent of authorities collect 2+ materials, which is slightly higher than average. In terms of the percentage of households served however, 76 per cent get 2+ materials and 37 per cent get 5+ materials. This is third highest of all regions. 29 per cent of authorities already comply with the Household Waste Recycling Act (HWRA). The East uses fewer not-for-profit recycling companies (two per cent) than any other region and is the only region to operate more co-mingled collections (60 per cent) than cleaner separated collections (40 per cent).

5. South West

More households in the South West (43 per cent) receive a 5+ material collection than any other region, although the region is beaten by London in terms of the number of authorities offering 5+ material collections. South West authorities are clearly reaching more households than London with multi-material schemes. However, where 2+ material schemes are in place, authorities still need to reach more households. A relatively low 23 per cent of authorities are compliant with the HWRA.

6. West Midlands

The West Midlands is a below-average performer, coming about 6^th in the league table in most areas. Only 18 per cent of authorities are compliant with the HWRA. Just 88 per cent of authorities offer a 2+ material scheme to some households (which is second bottom of all regions) and just 64 per cent of households receive one. More authorities should follow the good example of Lichfield District Council (see `ten of the best' list). The West Midlands uses a high proportion of not-for-profit companies for its doorstep collections (25%), second only to London which might account for the high proportion (79%) of separated schemes offered. Every one of the doorstep schemes offered picks up weekly or fortnightly. These are good foundations to build on. However, the region has more incinerators than any other region and this is likely hold back progress.

7. London

Every London Borough has a collection of 2+ materials for some households. A slightly higher than average percentage of households (67 per cent) has access to such a collection. But only 15% of local authorities already comply with the HWRA, lower than average (26 per cent), and second from bottom for all regions. London Boroughs have more glass collections than any other region and London has the highest number of weekly doorstep recycling collections (61 per cent). The challenge for London lies in reaching to further households, particularly residents living in higher-density areas (e.g. flats), with the good schemes already in place. The London Mayor is committed to bringing a recycling collection to every household in London by September 2004.

8. North West

86 per cent of local authorities offer a collection of 2+ materials to some households, the lowest score of all the regions. On average, 48.5 per cent of households in the region are served with a collection of 2+, which again compares poorly against the England average of 61 percent. As a consequence, only 4 local authorities (nine per cent) already comply with the HWRA. The story is similar for 5+ material schemes, with only 28 per cent of authorities offering them to some houses, and only 15 per cent of households receiving them, well below average. Authorities in the region use a relatively high proportion (60 per cent) of in-house operators to run their doorstep schemes. But no matter who the operators are, more schemes have to be introduced in this region.

9. Yorkshire & Humber

The region performs very poorly. No local authorities yet comply with the Household Waste Recycling Act. Although 90 per cent offer collections of two or more materials to some households, less than half (44 per cent) of households actually have access to these collections. The region is easily bottom of the league for multi-material schemes: on average only seven per cent of households have a collection of 5 or more materials for some households. The region has no weekly collections, and more monthly / variable collections (38 per cent) than any other region. Reaching a wider population with more frequent, regular collections will be critical if this region is to turn around its mediocre recycling record.

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