The UK is at the bottom of the pile when it comes to recycling in Europe, according to a joint report from the Institute for Public Policy Research and Green Alliance.
The report, which is due for publication in October, is expected to recommend that local authorities should be given powers to charge a ‘pay-as-you-throw’ fee for collecting un-recyclable rubbish.
It also contends the best way to ensure public support for waste reduction and more recycling is to remove the existing costs of refuse collection and recycling away from council tax bills and show it as a separate service charge.
The report claims local authorities in England are only just going to meet the Government’s 2005 target for recycling 25% of household waste recycling, which was originally set in 2000, and names Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Liverpool as the worst-performing local authorities for recycling.
Within Europe, only Greece and Portugal are found to have a worse record on recycling, with the UK average of 18% comparing poorly with the very best records of the Netherlands 65%, Austria 59% and Germany 58%.
Entitled A zero waste UK, the report will be published ahead of the Government’s long-delayed White Paper on local government and a new waste strategy, and is expected to highlight examples of recycling initiatives throughout Europe.
One example from Germany shows some local areas charge around 18p per kilo for waste not recycled, boosting the collection of recyclable materials to more than 65% – better than even the best UK local authority St Edmundsbury, which has a 51% recycling rate.
Nick Pearce, director of IPPR, said: ‘The UK is bottom of the heap in Europe when it comes to recycling. The Government should give local authorities powers to charge for collecting non-recyclable waste.
‘Our European neighbours have shown that where charges are commonplace, recycling rates rise, but to make sure any new charging scheme for collection is fair, it needs to be accompanied by a cut in council tax and an improvement in recycling facilities.’
Julie Hill, an associate of Green Alliance, said: ‘There are few better routes to higher recycling than through giving householders financial incentives. They are a proven, positive and logical way of changing our throwaway society.’ • For details www.ippr.org.uk