Archived press release

Further recycling targets needed, as Government figures released

1 August 2005

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to set further recycling targets for local authorities as a matter of urgency, in light of figures released by DEFRA today [1]. Local authorities have met the 17 per cent recycling target for 2003/04, but environmental campaigners warn that unless tough new statutory targets are set, there is a clear danger that the government will fail to reach high levels of recycling. Furthermore, they may not meet their own targets to recycle 30 per cent of household waste by 2010 and 33 per cent by 2015 [2].

In the coming weeks DEFRA will start a consultation process to review national and local authority targets [3]. Friends of the Earth believes that the targets have helped to focus all levels of Government on the need to improve recycling. Many local authorities have expanded and developed their collection services and these improvements have been driven by the need to meet statutory recycling targets.

Friends of the Earth also wants to see new ambitious national recycling targets set for England of 50 per cent by 2010 and 75 per cent by 2015 [4]. The Netherlands, Germany and Austria already recycle around half of their household waste [5].

Georgina Bloomfield, Recycling Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

"Recycling in England has been improving, but we need to ensure that the momentum for providing better services continues. The Government should set further statutory targets for local authorities as a matter of urgency to ensure collection services continue to improve. We should be aiming to recycle at least half our waste by 2010, so that we become one of the best recyclers in Europe."

Notes

[1]Municipal Waste Management Survey 2003/04 (August 2005) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for England, published today, confirms:

• that the 2003-4 target of recycling 17 per cent of household waste has been met - 17.7 per cent was recycled in 2002/3;
• the amount of municipal waste recycled has increased by over 3 percentage points since 2002/03. 19 per cent of municipal waste was recycled in 2003/04.

[2] Government national recycling targets for England are:

17% recycling or composting by 2003-4
25% recycling or composting by 2005
30% recycling or composting by 2010
33% recycling or composting by 2015

[3] The Government is due to begin a consultation on the national and local recycling targets this month as part of the review of their national waste strategy for England, Waste Strategy 2000, which is taking place this year. Please contact Friends of the Earth for more information on the recycling targets and waste strategy review.

[4] Friends of the Earth's "Target Recycling" report outlines measures that the Government must introduce to tackle our current throwaway culture and match the best recycling levels in Europe. See "Target recycling - aiming for 50 per cent and beyond" (January 2005)
www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/target_recycling.pdf (PDF)

[5] England still languishes behind many of its EU neighbours, a number of which recycle over 50 per cent of their municipal waste. The following municipal waste recycling figures are from "Municipal Waste Management in the EU 2001" (February 2003) e-Digest of Environmental Statistics, Eurostat www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/wastats/mwb0304/index.htm

Netherlands 59%
Austria 58%
Germany 53%
Belgium 39%
Sweden 39%
Luxembourg 36%
Denmark 32%
Spain 28%
Finland 25%
France 25%
Italy 24%
Ireland 13%
United Kingdom 13%*
Greece 9%
Portugal 4%

* The UK figure will now have changed.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust