Click the image to see a larger version

Oxfordshire Waste Partnership (OWP) has published information showing where all recyclable materials collected from households end up.

The information has been published in infographic and spreadsheet form, with the latter detailing the specific addresses of each site that receives recyclables from the six partnership councils (Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council).

The spreadsheet reveals that there are a wide variety of companies receiving OWP’s recyclable material, with Recresco Ltd and Agrivert, an organic waste recycler, two of the more common destinations. According to the data. the majority of recyclable material was sent to companies based in the UK.

The information is not however, a complete list of end-destinations, as several contractors send their collected materials to various ports and docks across the country, ready to be processed abroad. These materials included HDPE plastics, glass, cans and wood.

According to OWP, it is the first time such data has been published for the area, with the group stating the information was released in the hope of providing ‘greater transparency’ and ‘encouraging recycling’.

In 2011-12 Oxfordshire recycled over 60 per cent of its household waste, the highest rate in England. The Oxfordshire district councils of Vale of White Horse, South Oxfordshire and West Oxfordshire were among the top ten councils in England, with recycling rates of 68.7 per cent, 67.9 per cent and 61.2 per cent respectively.

It comes after OWP became the first partnership of councils in the UK to sign WRAP’s Business Recycling and Waste Services Commitment. The Commitment means that OWP has pledged to support local businesses in their efforts to increase their recycling rates and reduce waste.

Speaking of the release of the information, Councillor David Dodds, Chairman of Oxfordshire Waste Partnership, stated: “We’re incredibly proud of our high recycling rates and want to encourage more people to recycle by explaining the process. We often get asked what happens to the materials once they’ve been collected so this handy infographic is a perfect way of illustrating the recycling route.

“I hope the graphic shows that our waste is being used as a valuable resource and encourages people to continue recycling or even better to start recycling even more.”

Increasing transparency on recycling destinations

The OWP figures follow on from a similar report released by the Welsh government regarding the destinations of its collected recyclate. However, like the OWP information, the materials were only tracked as far as their primary destinations, with many items being transferred abroad. In these cases the end destination is ultimately unknown.

The emphasis on publically accessible information on recyclables end destinations comes after the End Destinations of Recycling Charter, released by the Resource Association in conjunction with LARAC, which aimed to inform the public as to where their recycling ended up.

The charter was initiated following a joint Resource Association and YouGov survey, which found that 73 per cent of people did not know the exact end location of their recyclables, with 68 per cent of people thinking that there should be more information available to the public about their recyclables’ end destinations.

Read the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership’s breakdown of recycling destinations.