A number of English local authority sources have told letsrecycle.com they expect recycling rates to be lower in 2017/18 than the previous year. And, environment minister Therese Coffey has spoken of household recycling rates “collapsing”.
Recycling minister Therese Coffey says household recycling rates are ‘collapsing’ (Picture: Shutterstock)
Factors behind the reductions include budget cuts, stricter controls at materials recycling facilities, restrictions on material exports to China and dry weather in summer 2017 impacting on green waste tonnages. Recycling figures are expected by November.
Newham
The issue of recycling rates was highlighted last week by recycling minister Therese Coffey during a parliamentary committee.
Dr Coffey chose to single out the lowest performing local authority, Newham, which achieved a recycling rate of just 14.1% for 2016/17.
And, commenting with regard to MRF contamination results, she said: “Yes, I think the very fact that we are seeing councils go backwards in their recycling rates with households collapsing, that is a real problem. We’ve seen Newham go backwards significantly badly with less than 15% recycled, and there is a lot of education that continues to need to be done.”
Dr Coffey commented on recycling rates during a parliamentary committee last week (Picture: Parliament TV)
Her comments followed the publication of data from materials recycling facilities (MRFs) last month, which showed the volume of target materials received at England’s MRFs for the first quarter of 2018 was the lowest since reporting began (see letsrecycle.com story).
East Riding
Meanwhile, East Riding council, which last year reported the highest recycling rates across England’s local authorities, expects to see a reduction in the amount of waste recycled, reused and composted for 2017/18.
Sarah Atkinson, service manager for waste treatment and disposal, expects to see a drop in the recycling rate, although “not significantly”, which she puts down to the weather and its impact of green waste tonnages in what she said has been “a very strange year”.
Although Ms Atkinson explained that the authority saw a surge of green waste in April and May, she predicts that recycling rates will have fallen for Q2. “Similar factors will be affecting other councils,” she added, “our focus is on residual rate to bring that down.”
Ms Atkinson revealed that the dry recycling rate for East Riding has stayed the same or increased marginally, and green waste tonnages would be the “only reason” for a drop in the recorded rate. Further to this, the council has seen a reduction in residual waste.
In terms of other metrics for measuring recycling, Ms Atkinson said: “I can see the merits of that going forward”. However, she added that weight-based targets “keep residents engaged”.
The China restrictions have not had “any impact” on the level of recycling for the council. Plastics are recycled in this country Ms Atkinson said, while paper goes through “extra processing”.
Some of the waste management team at East Riding of Yorkshire council celebrating their success last year
Ms Atkinson was unsure of whether East Riding would retain its top spot on the leader board of local authorities. “I don’t know where we’re going to be,” she said, “I don’t think we’ll see huge improvements.”
Factors
This scenario was recognised by local authority expert, Steve Didsbury, who is head of waste for the London borough of Bexley. Mr Didsbury explained that there have been a number of “underlying” factors affecting the rates this year.
He noted the “continued austerity measures” may have played a part, with some councils “slimming back” on communications with residents. Austerity measures have also lead to a growing number of local authorities moving to a charged service for green waste.
Mr Didsbury said he expects the recycling rate to have fallen for 2017/18 because of this. “You’ve got to keep improving just to stay the same,” he added.
But, Mr Didsbury is hopeful that with measures such as increased producer responsibility and reform of the PRN system to encourage reinvestment, “recycling might start going up”.
However, in terms of the fall in recycling, he added: “It’s going to continue until measures such as PRNs are brought in.” He suggested that even if these measures are adopted it is unlikely there will be any impact on the rates for “at least five years”.
“I would like the recycling rate to continually get better, we haven’t really progressed in for the last five years, and it will make long term targets harder to get to.”
‘Ongoing pressure’
John Woodruff, principal consultant in waste operations at Ricardo said there have been “four things affecting the recycling rate”.
The first is “the weather and arising of garden waste,” he said. Secondly, the “austerity issue putting ongoing pressure of local authority budgets”.
Austerity has seen a growing number of councils moving from free garden waste collections to a charged service, Mr Woodruff explained. Mr Woodruff explained that resources charity WRAP estimates local authorities lose 30% tonnage when charges for green waste collections are introduced.
He said these two factors led to a “double hit” for local authorities in terms of their green waste tonnages collected.
Mr Woodruff stated that “green waste should not be part of the overall recycling rate.”
“Austerity has also led to less communications with residents,” he added.
Thirdly, he explained, the China crisis has particularly impacted and the growing publicity about plastics.
“Even if we are sending the same amount of recycling, we now have a more accurate recording of recycling.”
John Woodruff
Ricardo
This has left householders “more confused and more concerned about recycling” in terms of what they can and cannot recycle.”
“The final element is honesty.” Referring to the MRF reporting regulations, he said: “Even if we are sending the same amount of recycling, we now have a more accurate recording of recycling.”
He explained that because of the MRF regulations, the UK now has a “more realistic” recycling rate.
“I don’t know but I would be surprised if it didn’t [fall],” he said. “A combination of all that is likely to have an effect.”
“What would be interesting would be the dry recycling rate, that’s where it’s complicated.”
Mr Woodruff pointed to better education for the householder and reliable collection services as a way to improve the recycling rate.
Growth
England’s recycling rate, including composting, returned to growth in the financial year 2016/17 with a rise to 45.1% compared to 44.4% the previous financial year.
Since 2009/10, there has been an increase of just under 4.9% in England’s recycling and composting over a seven year period.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
