171 out of England’s 326 collection and unitary authorities witnessed a fall in recycling rates throughout the year, with the biggest decreases in recycling rates coming in Copeland, Horsham and Surrey Heath, where recycling rates dropped by 7.35%, 7.28% and 5.65% points respectively.
The recycling and waste figures published on Tuesday (November 18) did show some successes – with Ashford borough council in Kent witnessing a 30.03% point increase in recycling rates, and England’s overall rate went up by around 0.3%.
However, overall progress in increasing recycling has stagnated, and it appears that the UK is no longer on course to meet the EU’s mandatory 50% by 2020 recycling target.
Surrey Heath council, which was the fourth highest recycling borough in the country in 2012/13, dropped out of the top ten in 2013/14. The council has blamed its decline on the decision to exclude material such as street sweepings from the household waste calculation.
Surrey Heath
Reacting to Tuesday’s figures, a spokesman for Surrey Heath council, said: “The council’s recycling rates have dropped from 63.77% in 2012/13 to 58.12% in 2013/14 – in accordance with national figures released by Defra – due to the council no longer being able to recycle leaves and street cleansing items.
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“Had the council been allowed to continue this recycling, our figure would have been 65.2%. The council’s recycling rate also still remains way above the national average, while our new textiles service, which was introduced in 2013, has already seen more than 18 tonnes collected. We will aim to maintain this textiles service so residents can recycle more easily and from their home.”
Commenting on the figures, Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) chair Andrew Bird acknowledged that alongside spending cuts, the reclassification of street sweepings had been a major problem for many authorities.
Mr Bird, who is also the recycling officer for Newcastle-under-Lyme council in the West Midlands, said: “It will have had a significant effect in some cases. For my authority it is at least a difference of around 1-1.5%. Annoyingly, although this material is still being recycled, it can no longer be counted towards the figures.”
Looking forward, the senior recycling officer noted that it is becoming more difficult for some authorities to increase recycling rates where major progress has already been made.
He said: “It gets harder and harder as you move up the tables to extract more. All of the easy things have been done.
“There is no easy route for a local authority to go down without some expenditure. A quick win could be something like separate food waste collections but that involves a lot of investment. There is no easy answer.”
Newham
The figures also showed England’s worst performing local authority for recycling to be the London borough of Newham, which recorded a 17.6% recycling rate for 2013/14.
When contacted by letsrecycle.com the borough identified the demographic and logistical problems it has faced – which include a high population density.
A council spokesperson said: “Many of the barriers to recycling that were identified by WRAP in 2008 are prevalent in Newham, as a densely populated borough, with high levels of diversity, transience and relative deprivation. Many of the borough’s properties are small and there are an increasing number of flats, which often have limited space for waste storage both inside and outside.
“We have been working to improve the quality of the recycling we collect, and reduce the amount lost because of contamination. We have an extensive and ongoing resident awareness campaign involving door knocking, leafleting and stickers for recycling bins, and are also continuing to work with schools to create an understanding of why it is important to recycle.”
The spokesperson added that Newham is working with the East London Waste Authority (ELWA) to divert more of its waste from landfill, having seen its landfill rate drop from more than 70% in 2006/07 to less than 25% in 2013/14.
On the flipside, Ashford council which once held the title as England’s worst recycling authority has rocketed up to 159th in the table. The authority recorded a recycling rate of 41.9% in 2013/14 and attributes the improvement in the new recycling collection scheme rolled out across the borough by contractor Biffa in July 2013.
Ashford
As part of the service, Biffa carries out alternate weekly collections of commingled dry recyclables and refuse in separate 240-litre and 180-litre wheelie bins respectively, as well as weekly 25-litre kitchen caddy food waste collections and an optional, subscription-based 240-litre wheelie bin for green waste.
Councillor Jessamy Blanford, Ashford’s portfolio holder for the environment, hailed the improvements, describing the latest results as ‘extremely positive news’.
She said: “We have been delighted with how enthusiastic our residents have been about recycling since the new service and wheeled bins were introduced. To see figures continuing to climb after the initial excitement has died down is wonderful news for our borough.
“Obviously the current figures are helped by the amount of seasonal garden recycling being collected in the summer months, but that in itself is good news as we are equally pleased to see so many people taking up this optional service.”
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