Dip in household recycling rates raises concerns about looming targets
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 - 14:32:37
A study commissioned by BBC News has revealed that the amount of waste recycled across 14 million homes nationwide has actually fallen over the past half-decade.
Because of this, it is thought that the goal of recycling 50 per cent of rubbish generated by households in England by 2020 will not be met.
Last year residents across the country generated 23.6 million tonnes of waste, of which 10.3 million was collected to be recycled. This represents a 43.7 per cent recycling rate, averaging out to 411kg per person over the course of the past 12 months.
When every council area is considered, there has been a very small 0.7 per cent rise in recycling since 2011, but a worrying proportion of local authorities are not managing to keep up with expectations.
Part of the problem is that the amount of money that councils have available to commit to recycling has been cut, dropping by ten per cent between 2013 and 2017. This means it is harder to cover the costs involved in collecting recyclable waste, or promoting the benefits of sustainable living to locals in the area.
Furthermore, the squeeze on council finances has even impacted standard waste collection services, which shows the extent to which austerity measures have compromised a variety of vital operations in England and the rest of the UK.
The biggest fall off in household recycling has been experienced in the North East, where it is down by over two per cent compared with five years ago. Meanwhile, the North West has seen the biggest rise in recycling, up by close to three and a half per cent during the same period.
London has also undergone a contraction in recycling rates, dropping by almost one per cent, which is a challenge given its large population and economic importance.
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