Archived press release

Recycling rates increasing - but fifty per cent is just the start

23 January 2006

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to set new ambitious national targets for local authorities, so that they all meet the high recycling levels being achieved by the best, such as St Edmundsbury in Suffolk which recycles or composts over 50 per cent of household waste. Figures released by DEFRA today show that other local authorities are now recycling over 40 per cent of their waste [1 & 2].

In the coming weeks, DEFRA will start a consultation process to review the England waste strategy [3]. Friends of the Earth wants to see new ambitious national recycling targets of at least 50 per cent by 2010 and 75 per cent by 2015 [4]. The environmental campaign group also wants assurances that expensive, inefficient and polluting incineration plants will not be promoted as part of the waste strategy, when recycling is a better for the environment and is a more cost effective way of dealing with waste.

Friends of the Earth's Recycling Campaigner, Anna Watson, said:

"Some local authorities are really leading the way in increasing their recycling rate and providing great recycling services to people. We want to see the whole of England reaching a recycling rate of 50 per cent by 2010; these top performing authorities have shown that this is achievable. The Government must set high recycling targets in their upcoming review of the England waste strategy, so that we don't lose this momentum".

Notes

[1] Defra press release: "Figures show St Edmundsbury recycles half of its waste". 23^rd January 2006,

www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/060123a.htm

[2] Top 10 Local Authorities according to DEFRA's figures today:

Local Authority Recycling and composting rate 2004/05

St Edmundsbury	50.64
Forest Heath	48.59
South Cambridgeshire	46.8
Lichfield	46.35
Harborough	46
Rushcliffe	46
Daventry	45.05
Cherwell	43.4
Vale Royal	40
North Kesteven	39.43

[3] The Government is due to begin a consultation on the national waste strategy for England, Waste Strategy 2000, within the next few weeks. Local authorities in Newhaven, Norwich, Mansfield, Hull, Cornwall, Peterborough, Leeds, York, Woking, Nuneaton, East London, Surrey and Medway are currently looking into proposals for incinerators.

Government faces tough battles over incineration plans

[4] England still languishes behind many of its EU neighbours, a number of which recycle over 50 per cent of their municipal waste. .Flanders in Belgium already recycles 71 per cent of household waste and the Netherlands, Germany and Austria recycle around half of their household 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 and is closer to 17 per cent (2003/04).

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust