We’re STILL missing our recycling targets

RECYCLING rates in Britain have stagnated for the fifth year in a row, suggesting the UK will miss its target to recycle half of all household waste by 2020.

Just 45.7 per cent was recycled in 2017, Government figures revealed yesterday.

This is an increase of just 1.6 percentage points on 2013 – and well short of the target in the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, which says member states must recycle 50 per cent of household rubbish within two years. The target will still apply during any ‘transition period’ following Britain’s exit from the EU.

If current trends continue, the UK will also miss a Government target set in December to recycle 65 per cent of its rubbish by 2035.

The figures suggest Britain is struggling to win the war on waste – but not everyone is willing to give up without a fight.

By last night, more than 60,000 volunteers had pledged to join the Great British Spring Clean, run by Keep Britain Tidy in partnership with the Daily Mail. Taking place between March 22 and April 23, it is hoped the scheme – already backed by the likes of Theresa May, Sir David Attenborough and bosses of the country’s largest supermarkets – will be the biggest environmental event of the year.

The number of volunteers surged by more than 5,000 in 48 hours to reach a remarkable 60,894, following pledges from groups including the Marine Conservation Society and The Rivers Trust. The Mail and Keep Britain Tidy hope to enlist half a million helpers to take action against litter and waste. Simon Ellin, chief executive of the Recycling Association, said yesterday’s figures showing recycling rates had plateaued were ‘no surprise’.

‘Without significant investment, recycling in this country is not going to get any better,’ he said. ‘It’s good to see the rates haven’t declined. I think we have reached a point where we are about as far as we are going to get without investment.

‘Local authorities are so cash- strapped that they don’t have the money to develop additional collection services that will improve recycling rates.’

The overall recycling rate for household rubbish in England was slightly lower than that for the whole of the UK, at 45.2 per cent. This is in part because Wales is one of the most successful recycling nations in Europe. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) data for 2017, the most recent available, revealed that Wales recycled 57.6 per cent of all household waste.

Mr Ellin added: ‘The recycling rates in Wales are so much better than in England because they are better funded. We take a lot of stick in the recycling industry but I think we are doing as well as we can with the tools we are given to do the job.’ The total amount of waste generated in England, including commercial and household, has increased by 10 per cent in six years. In 2010, the figure stood at 171million tonnes, which had risen to 189million by 2016, the most recent figures available. Martin Tett, of the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said: ‘ The upcoming Spending Review needs to tackle the funding crisis facing the vital local services our communities rely on, including those collecting and recycling waste.’ The Government has pledged to spend £3billion by 2042 on developing new waste infrastructure.

A Defra spokesman said: ‘While we have made progress, we recognise rates have plateaued in recent years. That’s why ... we will overhaul the waste system so we can go further and faster.

‘We will introduce a consistent set of recyclable materials collected from all households in England, including plans for weekly collections of food waste, as well as consistent labelling on packaging to drive up recycling rates.’