Waste management company SITA UK has sent about 153 tonnes of material to India on a trial basis – about 1% of the county's recyclable material.
” We will meet our recycling targets in the county, but we won't do it by exporting waste overseas. “
– Cllr Michael Davey, Northumberland CC But following a local television report by BBC North East and pressure from Friends of the Earth, the county council has called for the practice to stop, denying that the trial was going ahead with its consent. Last year the BBC also reported on the sorting of recyclables from Leeds in the Far East.
In a strongly worded statement, council leader Michael Davey said: “We are appalled that this has happened. We have only just discovered it, and we have acted immediately. We will not tolerate this under any circumstances.
“We will meet our recycling targets in the county, but we won't do it by exporting waste overseas. Waste is a worldwide problem – it won't be solved if rich countries ship their problems to poorer countries,” Cllr Davey added.
There are believed to be a few other companies that use this route for recyclable materials from the UK, with India and the Far East important users of recyclable material. In a statement SITA UK said that at no time did it act unlawfully or outside the boundaries of regulation.
But the company said it accepted the wishes of its client and “would not wish to pursue any operational methods without our client's full agreement”.
” This is a widely accepted and practised recycling solution. “
– SITA UK The statement from SITA said: “SITA UK saw the opportunity to improve efficiencies in the recycling operations in Northumberland and began a trial to send recyclable material from its facility in North Tyneside to India.
“This is a widely accepted and practised recycling solution. Many local authorities and recycling organisations across the UK are investigating the potential to trade directly with the Indian subcontinent and Far East, where demand for raw materials is high,” the company explained.
SITA said it would be reviewing the results of the trial “before any decisions to export recyclable material on a long-term basis is made”.
Conditions
Pressure group Friends of the Earth reacted “angrily” to the news that recyclable domestic waste from the north east was being sent to India for recycling.
The group said it opposes recyclable material being sent abroad because of the transportation “wastes energy and will create unnecessary pollution”. And, it said it would be “extremely difficult for SITA to be sure of the conditions for workers in the Indian factory where this waste ends up, or the standard of the technology used.”
” Exporting waste to India for recycling wastes energy, causes unnecessary pollution and deprives local people of jobs.“
– Claire Wilton, Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth's recycling campaigner, Claire Wilton, said: “Waste produced in the north east should be recycled locally, not sent thousands of miles to a developing country. Exporting waste to India for recycling wastes energy, causes unnecessary pollution and deprives local people of jobs.
“SITA must not put profits before people and the environment. Northumberland's waste should be recycled locally,” she added.
Northumberland recycled 24.7% of its household waste from April to June 2004, after surpassing its 10% recycling target for 2003/04 by seven percentage points. The county has been awarded 34 million in Private Finance Initiative credits to support a new waste management contract that should begin on April 1, 2006.
The council has already begun seeking expressions of interest for the contract, and reports that it has received “more than sufficient interest for healthy competition”.
Register for free to comment