China recycling restrictions hitting UK councils

The Local Government Association has revealed that 20 per cent of councils have felt a direct impact from China’s restrictions on imports of mixed paper and certain types of plastic over the last year.

The council leader’s poll discovered that some authorities who have been most highly impacted have seen their recycling costs increase by £500,000 on average over the last year as a result of the restrictions, partly due to increased costs for processing materials for recycling.

The LGA is calling for manufacturers to contribute more towards local authority costs for processing recycling and to reduce the amount of material, such as black plastic trays, entering the environment in the first place, as well as urging the government to address the longer term impact of the China ban in its forthcoming Resources and Waste Strategy.

The fee charged to councils to process materials collected from kerbside collection at a materials recovery facility (MRF) is said to have increased from £15 to £22 per tonne over the last year. The fee has also increased to £35 a tonne compared with £29 a tonne for contracts signed in the past year.

Martin Tett, LGA Environment spokesman, said: “It’s clear that the ban by China on imported waste, which could soon be implemented from other countries, could have a marked impact on councils’ ability to recycle. It’s essential that the government provide support to help councils offset the loss of income they face as a result of the ban and encourage manufacturers to use more recyclable materials.

“Councils are doing all they can to improve recycling rates, which is why 100 per cent of councils collect paper for recycling, and 99 per cent collect plastic bottles. The rising costs caused by this ban risk combining with ongoing and severe council funding pressures to affect other essential local services.

“It is essential that the government take the opportunities of the upcoming Autumn Budget and publication of its Resources and Waste strategy to assess the financial impact of these bans on councils thoroughly, and encourage manufacturers to take up more of the responsibility for dealing with these unrecyclable materials.”