The data shows that England recycled 43.5% of its household waste in 2013/14, a 0.3% increase on the previous 12 months.
Concerns have been raised over the level at which the recycling rate is increasing, with progress still to be made to meet the 50% by 2020 EU recycling target. Defra is to call on WRAP to examine what more to be done to boost recycling in England (see letsrecycle.com story).
It has largely been acknowledged that England has made good progress in growing its recycling rate from around 5% in the mid 1990s to its current level above 40%. But improvements have slowed greatly in recent years, with the flatlining recycling rate seen as a significant hurdle for English councils to overcome.
SITA UK
Commenting on today’s figures, SITA UK chief executive David Palmer-Jones noted that the ‘pace of improvement’ is far from that required to meet the EU’s 50% by 2020 recycling target.
He added that ‘active leadership and a policy sea-change’ are needed at a national level to kick start a growth in recycling rates.
Mr Palmer-Jones said: “The slight increase in annual recycling rates is largely a result of greater public participation in some key, heavily populated, urban local authorities, which have made significant improvements from a very low base by seizing the political initiative.
“England still has a long way to go and can look to Wales for inspiration where the latest annual figures show an average recycling rate nearing 55%. Welsh local authorities have introduced new systems to collect recyclate from households, using funding made available by the Welsh Government.
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“We urge DEFRA to take ownership of resource policy and to then lead a joined-up approach across all government departments. This is not about hitting targets for their own sake, but to ensure the UK as a whole unlocks the significant economic and social benefits that being more resource-efficient could deliver.”
FCC
FCC Environment’s sales and marketing director, Kristian Dales also noted that the latest figures should be a cause for concern when measured against the UK’s progress towards EU recycling targets.
He added that councils are under increasing pressure to deliver higher targets with diminishing resources.
Mr Dales said: “Cash-strapped local authorities are under immense pressure to provide reliable waste collections for residents and increase recycling rates. The waste management and recycling industry has a vital role to play in helping local authorities deliver a user-friendly system of collections which is cost effective and will continue to boost recycling levels.”
He added: “In order to provide long-term support to prevent the stagnation of recycling rates, our industry needs consistency regarding legislative and economic drivers to encourage investment in infrastructure and market growth.”
ESA
Jacob Hayler, economist at the Environmental Services Association, echoed calls for leadership from government in his analysis of the data.
He said: “Far from stepping back from waste-related issues, Defra needs to be making fresh interventions to help local authorities and their private sector partners introduce the services needed to reach the 50% target for 2020.
“Wales has shown that it can be done and we now need England to raise its game if we are to avoid EU infraction proceedings for missing our targets.”
And, Viridor’s external affairs director Dan Cooke added that the government needed to ‘step forward not backwards’ on offering a clear direction on resource policy if the sector was to commit to the investment and innovation required.
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