Environmental lobbyists Friends of the Earth (FoE) will claim that an extra 200 million from Whitehall would ensure a decent recycling service for every household in the UK. Nine out of ten people say they would recycle more waste if it were made easier, FoE said.
It wants more revenue raised from the landfill tax and landfill tax credits to be ringfenced for local authority recycling. Fewer than half of the English councils that applied for the Waste Minimisation and recycling Fund received an allocation, with 215 town hall schemes refused, FoE added.
But it will also use World Environment Day to put pressure on councils to recycle. Just one in four households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a “best practice” recycling service, and national recycling levels are still at 14.5%, far short of the government’s 25% target, FoE said.
Campaigners in 61 locations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will send messages to their local authority in recyclable bottles, urging them to do more.
“Friends of the Earth is challenging both national and local government on World Environment Day to prove they mean business on recycling,” FoE recycling campaigner Georgina Bloomfield explained.
Events
Other organisations will also mark Saturday with a range of events taking place around the country. The Environment Agency has worked with voluntary sector body CSV to encourage 5,000 people to make pledges to reduce their “environmental footprint”.
Celebrities such as Chris Tarrant, Alistair McGowan, Anthony Worral-Thompson, Lorraine Kelly and Jon Snow have all signed up to reduce the amount of water, energy and plastic bags they use.
Both the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) will use the day to urge businesses to consider ways of reducing the waste they produce.
In London, organisations including are staging London Sustainability Weeks from June 5 to 19 to highlight a range of environmental action including events on waste and recycling. Community furniture re-use group Green-Works is opening its Silvertown warehouse to the public, while LondonWaste's EcoPark in the north of the capital is also opening its doors to the public to give tips and advice on waste management.
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