The United Kingdom has suffered attacks in the media which claim that it is not doing its part to effectively implement recycling and waste management schemes. Recent reports show that the United Kingdom lags behind many of the objectives set out by the European Union, as well as ones enacted by its own government. Because of this the government of the United Kingdom has asked local councils to come up with new and innovative schemes to increase recycling and reduce waste. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn hopes to turn the United Kingdom into a zero waste country within the next five years. A recent report shows that these programs might be working, as numbers indicate that less rubbish is being put into United Kingdom landfills.
According to a recent study by Defra which aimed to reveal recycling rates of various councils, over thirty five percent of all household rubbish in the United Kingdom is now being recycled. Not only did the recycling rates rise, but the amount of rubbish finding its way into landfills has decreased significantly. Over a million tonnes less was put into landfills last year, which represents a continued improvement in that area. Although the overall recycling rate was up by over three percent, some councils were still not doing enough to increase the rates of recycling and decrease waste.
One of the worst cities for recycling is London, where rates were less than thirty percent. London’s poor showing was offset by councils like Staffordshire Moorlands where over sixty percent of the rubbish was recycled. Although these findings show a steady improvement, much more needs to be done if the UK is going to reach its goals.
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