As of 2004/05, England recycles just under 23% of the 25 million tonnes of waste produced
by householders each year.
Scotland's household waste recycling rate is about 17%, while Wales is achieving a 16% rate.
Household waste recycling is achieved through kerbside recycling collections and collections via bring banks.
However, since composting counts towards recycling rates some councils are beginning to consider how residual or
mixed rubbish might be recycled through new technologies like digestion or MBT.
Under the Defra's
Waste Strategy 2000, English local authorities are aiming to increase this to 25% by 2005/06
and 30% by 2010. This strategy is, however, currently under review with Waste
Strategy 2006 expected later this year
(see this
news story).
The major force in household waste recycling are local authorities, who have been set statutory
recycling
targets to achieve in 2005/06. councils may also use private waste management contractors or community sector groups
to help them reach their service delivery goals.
The government is currently consulting on local authority recycling targets
beyond 2005/06. It has suggested sticking to the 2005/06 targets for the year
2007/08, with a minimum level for poor performing councils to reach raised to
20% of household waste recycled. This consultation closed in January 2006, with
the proposal not altogether popular among stakeholders.
One piece of legislation in operation since 2003 has been the Household Waste Recycling Act
. This requires all local authorities in England to provide kerbside collections for at least two
recyclable materials by 2010.
Following the
"Waste Not Want Not" review by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit in 2002, new measures were brought in with
Defra setting up the Waste Implementation Programme to provide support for local authorities. There was also a wider
role given to WRAP - the Waste and Resources Action Programme - to assist local authorities on
recycling and waste minimisation, particularly in areas like communications campaigns and home composting.
Since April 2005, local authorities that have disposal responsibilities have additional targets to meet each year
to specifically divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill - under the
Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme. This scheme is pushing local authorities to concentrate efforts on the
recycling of paper, green waste and waste wood.
Funding for local authority recycling comes for the most part from councils' block grants from the government, but additional
funding support is available through the
Private Finance Initiative while the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant is also designed to help councils
drive forward recycling rates.
In order to reach their targets, local authorities may also be able to use some form of
financial reward for householders,
a scheme which is being trialled by Defra at the moment. Independently from central government policy, some councils are also
now adopting "compulsory recycling" schemes,
in which residents are threatened with legal action under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 if they do not use recycling services
provided.
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