Independent consultant Dr David Davies said yesterday that 60% recycling had proved to be a “wholly unrealistic” goal for urban areas even in the most environmentally-conscious areas of the world. And in a presentation to the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group, he said it was “irresponsible and nave” to set a 60% recycling target in a metropolitan area.
“No city or municipality ever achieves anything approaching 60%,” he said. “The best performers in Europe and North America achieve 40-45%. Some smaller rural authorities do reach 60%, but city and country are very different.” Rural areas attained higher levels largely because of greater composting, he explained.
London
Dr Davies focused particularly on the London Assembly, which commented on the Mayor's draft London Waste Strategy in November 2001: “London is an ideal area in which to aim for the more ambitious recycling targets of 50% and 60%. We urge the Mayor to be bolder in his Strategy and set a target recycling rate for London of 60% by 2015.”
The calculations used by the London Waste Strategy were based on high estimates of the amount of targeted materials, households served, participation rates and capture rates. But these factors were extremely sensitive to change and would result in a much lower final outcome if there were just small variations, Dr Davies said.
Seattle
In support of his argument, Dr Davies pointed out that Seattle, which had the highest recycling rate in the USA had been unable to meet a 60% target by 1998 despite soaring recycling levels. Recycling had stabilised at about 40% and the local authority was now considering reducing the current target of 60% by 2008.
“So, 60% recycling is wholly unrealistic in major metropolitan areas. The national target of 45% by 2015 proposed by the Strategy Unit is more realistic,” he concluded.
Incineration
Incineration was a proven technology with a legitimate place in any integrated urban waste strategy, and as long as it had popular consent, it could be used to crowd out landfill, Dr Davies argued.
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