Dr McLanaghan has expressed concern that despite an increase in recycling throughout the UK, waste arisings continue to outstrip the increase.
The latest Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) statistics show that the proportion of municipal waste being recycled or composted increased from 7% in 1996/97 to 12% in 2000/01. But DEFRA estimated that there were 28.2 million tonnes of municipal waste in England in 2000/01 from 24.6 million tonnes in 1996/97. And while the proportion of municipal waste landfilled has declined from 84% in 1996/97 to 78% in 2000/01, the total amount landfilled has increased from 20.6 million tonnes in 1996/97 to 22.1 million tonnes in 2000/01.
Dr McLanaghan, who is a former policy director at the Environmental Services Association (ESA) said that although recycling has increased, the amount of non-recycled waste has grown by over three million tonnes. He said: “Whilst recycling has increased from 7.1 to 12.3% (between 1996/97 and 2000/01), over the same period the non-recycled fraction has grown in overall terms by 3.35 million tonnes, from 22.84 to 26.19 million tonnes).”
Dr McLanaghan said that this provides worrying evidence that “there remains a strong correlation between waste growth and economic activity and that despite increases in recycling, the amount of non-recycled waste continues to increase in real term.”
He concluded: “By 2020, recycling/composting rates will need to increase by between 400 and 700% (dependent on annual growth in MSW arisings) to meet Landfill Directive and biodegradable municipal waste diversion targets. Again providing stark evidence of the need for a combination of waste minimisation measures and integrated waste and secondary resource management options.”
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