Catherine Bearder, Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for the South East of England, has announced that she has became a signatory of the Resource Association’s ‘End Destinations of Recycling’ Charter.

The Charter, set up by the trade body for the reprocessing and recycling industries (and supporting supply chain), the Resource Association (in support with LARAC), was launched in June to seek signatories to support a campaign to provide publically accessible information on the names and locations of the end destinations of recyclables collected from householders.

Supporting the Charter, Catherine Bearder MEP (South East England, Liberal Democrat) said: "I think we should all know what happens after we put the rubbish out on the kerbside. Do you know how much ends up in landfill, incinerated or recycled? If it is recycled, where does it end up? Fewer of us now have an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality when it comes to getting rid of rubbish. We want to know when we recycle that it is actually a worthwhile exercise.

“The Charter helps put the focus on councils and organisations to take greater responsibility over where rubbish ends up. We are recycling more and more, but I am keen to encourage us all – including manufacturers – to cut back on the amount of rubbish we produce. This is a great initiative which I am happy to endorse and would encourage as many councils and companies to sign up as soon as possible”, said Bearder.

Ray Georgeson, Chief Executive of the Resource Association, welcomed the signing, saying: “We are pleased to welcome Catherine as a signatory to the charter and support the ‘Don’t Rubbish Your Recycling’ campaign she has been running for some time to draw attention to what actually happens to the public’s recycling. Our shared agenda of transparency and improved public information will generate confidence in the recycling industry and how local councils account for recycling collected in their name. This can only be good for the industry and encourage people to recycle more, confident the materials are put to good use.

“We encourage other political representatives to follow the lead taken by Catherine Bearder MEP and the endorsement for the Charter at its launch by Defra Minister Lord Taylor by supporting the Charter”, added Georgeson.

More information on the ‘End Destinations of Recycling’ Charter can be found on the Resource Association’s website.