Last week the government announced individual English councils recycling rates for 2004/05, with St Edmundsbury soaring up 15 percentage points to become the first UK council to achieve a 50% recycling rate.
” The fact that an authority has reached 50% recycling shows that it can be done. It shows we can be as good as our European neighbours “
– Lee Marshall LARAC
Speaking to Letsrecycle.com, Lee Marshall – chair of LARAC – said: “It is great news to see such high levels achieved, the fact that an authority has reached 50% recycling shows that it can be done. It shows we can be as good as our European neighbours when many said we couldn't.”
It was announced in September that the UK achieved an overall recycling rate of just under 23% for 2004/05 – a target of 25% has been set for 2005/06.
And Mr Marshall, who is head of streetscene for Stratford-on-Avon council, believes that it has been the ability of those councils at the bottom end of the recycling table to lift their rates, as well as the top, that has led to this increase.
“Two years ago over 120 councils were recycling less than 10%,” he said. “Now we have only five that are under that figure, the base rate for recycling is being dragged up. Councils are able to make use of other authorities experience now, rather than running a six month trial for 6,000 homes a new recycling scheme can be rolled out city wide straight away because the trial has been carried out elsewhere.”
Impressive
Mr Marshall also commented that it was impressive that over 100 local authorities in the UK are now achieving recycling rates of over 25%. He added that this factor proved that the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs would be justified in not bringing in new targets for 2007/08.
He said: “All authorities, especially those at the top end above 30% are striving to go higher. The fact that three different authorities have been top of the league for the last three years shows that there is a definite sense of competition among the authorities, regardless of the capping.”
Ceiling
The head of streetscene for Stratford-on-Avon said that he expected to see further target increases in a few years, but for now attention should be concentrated at those councils at the bottom of the table.
Those authorities at the bottom of the table are often inner city districts, where is regarded to be much more difficult to achieve high recycling rates. Mr Marshall explained that these authorities may need to be innovative while also using successful schemes from elsewhere.
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He said: “We know that Liverpool is not the same as Daventry, but councils at the bottom end need to take schemes that already work and make them fit. In the future we may need to look at a ceiling for poorer inner city councils.”
Future
And back at the top end, Mr Marshall believes that although recycling rates have been rising well in the last few years, he thinks it is unlikely that the next big figure of 60% is probably attainable in 2006. “That is a target for four or five year's time, when council's have a full scheme working and everybody taking part,” he said.
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