Global trade in the contents of your bin
THE contents of your green bin are travelling thousands of miles around the world, it has been revealed.
Kirklees Council is sending large quantities of the recycling it collects overseas as it takes part in the global industry that deals with waste.
An Examiner investigation has discovered it has sent thousands of tonnes of paper, card and plastics to China, Switzerland, Holland and even the USA.
Environmental groups have criticised the lack of domestic recycling and said councils are guilty of wasting energy to make money out of recycling.
But Kirklees Council has said UK recycling market can’t handle all our waste and so much of it would just be buried as landfill if it wasn’t sent abroad.
In 2016/17, the most recent figures available, Kirklees sent 2,594 tonnes of paper, 1,597 tonnes of card and 15 tonnes of plastic bottles to China.
A further 88 tonnes of plastic went to the Netherlands, while nine tonnes of paper was shipped to Switzerland, and 102 tonnes of paper and card took the long journey to the USA.
Overall, 96,474 tonnes of waste collected across Kirklees was processed in 2016/17, according to figures from the WasteDataFlow system, which councils use to monitor the end destinations of the waste they collect.
The council has also claimed its policy of burning waste in the incinerator at Hillhouse prevents wasteful landfill and provides electricity for the National Grid.
Kirklees’ recycling is handled by French owned firm SUEZ.
Responding to the new figures, their spokesperson said: “Recycling is a global market and recycled material flows to countries which have a manufacturing base that requires the materials – after all, the purpose of recycling is to turn the materials into new products.
“As such, since the UK does not have a large enough manufacturing base to make use of all the materials we collectively recycle, it is common practice for these materials to be traded around the world as quality commodities for end users who want and need them.
“This meets both environmental and financial goals. If economically viable markets for the recycled materials did not exist, we could not recycle them and they would instead likely be sent for landfill or incineration.
“However, the current system for dealing with our recycling is a free market and therefore subject to market forces, so it is important that this market remains healthy.
“The destination of materials changes over time to reflect changes in demand and other factors. For instance, SUEZ has not sent any material to China, from Kirklees or other areas, since April 2017 and is instead trading into other markets in the UK, EU and Far East.
“However, SUEZ closely scrutinises its trading partners to ensure that the material is handled carefully and compliantly regardless of destination.
“There is a clear audit trail from the moment the waste is collected from households to the end destination and user, and this is reported centrally in a Government database that is made publically available.
“All black-bag or ‘residual’ waste from Kirklees is treated by SUEZ in the United Kingdom, the majority of which is treated at the Energy from Waste facility in Huddersfield, where it is turned into energy for the National Grid.
“Any material that cannot be treated at the Energy from Waste plant, for example, when it has planned maintenance, is treated at Energy from Waste plants in the north of England.
“Waste will be landfilled only where there are no further options for the material.”
The Mirror group investigation into where recycling travels found some loads’ final destination may not be known because reprocessors or exporters could send it on after receiving it at its official recorded destination.
Kirklees is by no means alone in sending waste all over the world.
One group of local authorities shipped over 900 tonnes of plastic bottles to Taiwan – a trip of 6000 miles (9650 km) – while another county council sent 882 tonnes of scrap metal to India.
During a two-year period over 2.2 million tonnes of recyclable items were exported overseas, including a 500,000 tonne ‘black hole’ with an “unknown destination”.
England currently recycles just 44% of household waste - ranking 18th in the world and lower than countries including South Korea, Taiwan and Slovenia.
The rate, one of the worst in the developed world, has fallen in recent years after the Coalition Government removed Labour’s recycling target.
Julian Kirby, recycling lead at Friends of the Earth, said: “Much of what gets exported to the Far East isn’t actually recycled.
“The items we are sending are so contaminated and mixed up we are actually just sending them rubbish.
“We are using other countries with very poor environmental and labour standards as a dumping ground.
“The Government needs to play an active role by setting clear recycling targets and telling councils how to collect it.”
Under Labour England and Wales had roughly the same household recycling rates.
But in 2010 the ConDem coalition removed England’s target rate to “allow councils to act on their own local priorities”.
Since that decision was taken the recycling rate has stagnated.
Instead of scrapping rates, Wales, which has devolved recycling powers, set a 2024/25 target of 70%.
It currently recycles 64% cent of household waste – the second best in the world with only Germany higher.
Green MP, Caroline Lucas, said: “Britain should be a world leader in recycling, and doing all we can to reduce the energy waste associated with refuse.
“Instead we’re lagging behind and fobbing off our mess onto others.
“It’s shocking to see so much recycling being shipped across the world for processing.
“When people put out their recycling, they expect eco-friendly recycling to take place locally.
“But the reality is that austerity hit councils are more interested in finding profitable – rather than green –