While many councils are still struggling to achieve this level of recycling, Rochford district council has already set its sights on an overall rate of 70% by 2016 – almost 15 years ahead of the EU’s proposed deadline.
But while these authorities should be congratulated, it is concerning that so few urban local authorities have made it into the top 10. Every year it is the leafy green suburbs or shire districts that make the headlines, and with councils such as South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and Three Rivers leading the pack again in 2013/14 it is high time we address the elephant in the room – dry recycling.
The fact is that parts of Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire benefit from affluent populations with a lot of household space and garden waste to compost. In contrast, some of the lowest performers – including Birmingham, Liverpool and parts of London – have huge, shifting populations that are often crammed into high rise flats without suitable recycling facilities. It is on such areas that more focus is needed.
The launch of Keep Britain Tidy and SITA UK’s ‘Ur[Bin] Issue’ report last week shone a light on these problems and addressed what is needed to boost communication and understanding among city residents. Meanwhile, impressive dry recycling results recorded in Stockport and Trafford show Manchester is already capable of competing with the strongest rural authorities.
So watch this space; could 2014/15 be the year of the urban recycler?
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