Risk of missed recycling deadlines as rates stall
Wednesday, December 13, 2017 - 09:50:03
Figures published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) this month suggest that there has only been a very minor increase in household recycling rates over the past year. This has led industry insiders to argue that the UK is unlikely to hit its goal of dealing with 50 per cent of waste sustainably by the end of the decade.
In fact, observers have pointed out that the 0.6 per cent increase reported by the government is arguably only achievable because the way that rates are measured has changed to include materials which are recovered after waste has been incinerated, according to Edie.net.
Recycling rates vary from region to region, with London falling well behind the national average with household recycling sitting at just 33 per cent. So it is suggested that unless dramatic changes are made, the 2020 deadline will fly by without the previously proposed target being met.
Experts argue that it is not just necessary to change consumer habits and encourage more people to recycle waste products, old electronics, mobile phones and more. It is also important to ensure that manufacturers themselves are incentivised to take responsibility for the items they produce after they leave the factory.
This will require changes in the way that items are packaged, as well as a rethink on issues like the ease with which products can be recycled themselves in the future.
Mobile phone manufacturers have come under scrutiny in this respect already, with campaigners claiming that not enough is being done to ensure that new handsets are not only easy to recycle but also to repair, so that their usability can be maintained over time. The idea that devices are disposable is contributing to e-waste problems and negatively impacting recycling rates.
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