JON RIGBY / 07850 900673 JON RIGBY
Insider Roundtable 11th June Menzies LLP, Midas House, Woking (Photo by Jon Rigby)
DEFRA’s* latest 2022-23 figures show that England’s average recycling rate has dropped from 44% to 43% with rates in local authorities nationwide mostly stagnating or falling, even in areas with the highest recycling rates. In plastic free July, this offers a bleak view of the UK’s progress towards becoming a more environmentally responsible nation, according to Josh Pitman, MD of sustainable packaging firm, Priory Direct.
The data reveals that four of the five local authorities that recycled the highest proportion of municipal waste in 2022-2023 have seen recycling rates drop compared with the previous year. The only exception is Stratford-upon-Avon District Council, which is new to the top five in 2022-23, having improved its recycling rate by three per cent to 59.9%:
More concerningly, rates of four of the five worst councils in the UK for recycling in 2022-2023 have recorded a more significant year-on-year drop than the top five, with some recycling 3 to 5 per cent less of their municipal waste than in the previous year. Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council in the only exception, which improved by just 0.1%:
Overall, the statistics demonstrate a worrying trend within the UK’s recycling infrastructure.
Pitman believes this is part of a wider problem, and explains:
“The downward trend we’re seeing in recycling statistics is part of a broader shift. More and more businesses and consumers are seeking reusable or recyclable alternatives, as we’re witnessing first hand in the packaging industry. This is something to applaud, but it applies added stress on a recycling system that operates differently in each borough and that already cannot cope with the UK’s recycling needs.”
Pitman is calling on the new Labour government to begin implementing a centralised recycling system to help tackle the overflows that are causing our recycling centres to fall behind.
“A locally-run recycling system causes confusion for people trying to recycle, lowers budgets to what local councils can afford, and limits opportunities for expansion where it is desperately needed. What we need from our new government is urgent investment in a centralised system. Without centralised recycling, the UK’s recycling centres receive a range of materials of varying quality to sort through from every district, making it far harder to recycle materials efficiently and consistently.”
Furthermore, Pitman highlights the urgent need to invest in greater capacity for plastic recycling in particular, and says:
“Around 2.5 million tonnes of plastic packaging is used in the UK every year and approximately 665,000 tonnes of this plastic waste is made up of soft plastic and films, which you find on food packaging, for example. Whilst around half of this soft plastic ends up in municipal waste, there is only capacity to recycle 10,000 tonnes of it in our current household recycling system. This is a huge problem, one we’re all aware of if we look at the contents of our household bins.”
Pitman believes that raising awareness of the lack of recycling capacity in the UK is important to put pressure on the government and local authorities to drive change.
He concludes: “If we are to take the climate crisis seriously, then investing in and improving our municipal, and commercial, recycling infrastructure and capacity would be a significant step in the direction of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. After all, recycled plastic uses far less energy than new plastics.
“Ed Miliband has said the Labour Party will put climate front and centre of its plans, and improving recycling in the UK needs to be part of this movement. If the new government does not push the recycling agenda, our landfills will be at capacity and our environment will face an even greater problem than it does now. I believe the solution is to invest in recycling infrastructure, centralise the system and drive further reductions in plastic usage.”
Priory Direct is based in Kent (Aylesford) and supplies sustainable packaging to over 21,000 businesses. It helps large retailers reduce their carbon footprint by tackling supply chain and operational challenges, helping to lower the environmental impact of ecommerce. It also provides affordable, sustainable packaging materials to thousands of small businesses, with 2,000 products ranging from cardboard boxes to mailing bags. The company’s Priory Elements range is designed with recyclability in mind and is partnered with international organisation 1% For the Planet. The firm has numerous charitable partnerships, is carbon neutral, a B Corp, and working towards net neutrality by 2030.
*Data from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)