Mets hold back recycling progress

11 January 2007

The majority (53%) of local authorities met or exceeded the national recycling target of 25% in 2005/6, but performance remains stagnant in many metropolitan areas.
Furthermore, 66% of councils hit their individual targets for the year, according to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
North Kesteven in Lincolnshire topped the list, with 51.5% of waste recycled or composted, followed by nearby Rushcliffe (49.9%), and South Cambridgeshire (49.4%). In contrast, the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham had the lowest recycling rates, at 8.9% and 10.1 % respectively, ahead of Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Lewisham.
A number of authorities registered significant improvements over the previous year, notably Ellesmere Port in the Northwest, which saw recycling rates soar from 13.99% to 36.6% – an increase of 22.6%. Redcar and Cleveland’s rates increased from 14.9% to 35.7%, and Teignbridge in Devon from 26.9% to 45.4%.
Welcoming the figures, environment minister, Ben Bradshaw, said: ‘The emissions saved by current levels of recycling is the equivalent of taking 3.5M cars off the road. But is still far too patchy, with some local authorities recycling more than 50% and others still down in the low teens.’
North Kesteven attributes its top score to a ‘simple system in place’ – it operates a three-wheeled bin, alternate week collection – and the enthusiasm of residents.
Councillor Dennis Roberts said: ‘One of the keys to this success is the simplicity of the system. All household items that are suitable for recycling go in the same bin. This means householders do not need to sort them into different bags or boxes.’
Tower Hamlets blames its low recycling rate on the high proportion of high-rise homes in the borough. However, the council invested £3.5M in improving recycling over the last year, and the service now extends to almost every property in the borough, including high-rise homes. Council staff also ‘doorstep’ to raise awareness of recycling and provide a cash incentive for good recyclers.

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