Recycling rates fall for 14 million homes

BBC News has revealed that council recycling rates have fallen over five years, with half of local authorities recycling a lower proportion of household waste in 2016-17 than in 2011-12.

Recycling experts have warned that the UK is likely to miss its target of recycling 50 per cent of household rubbish by 2020, despite the Local Government Association stating that recycling in England had still quadrupled compared with 10 years ago.

Analysing data from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the BBC found that 173 of 350 councils had lower recycling rates in 2016-17 compared to 2011-12, with the majority of English regions witnessing a decline in household recycling rates over the same period.

Additionally, the amount that all councils budgeted to spend on recycling services has fallen in real terms from a high of £630 million in 2013-14 to £569 million in 2016-17, representing a fall of 10 per cent. Equally, projected spending has also fallen from £4.5 billion to £4.1 billion in 2016-17.

At the start of the month, a survey by the Local Government Information Unit found that only one in 10 councils said environmental and waste issues were their greatest immediate pressure, compared to six out of 10 that said adult social care and children and education services were their most pressing issues.