Household recycling has increased and waste generation decreased according to new provisional Defra statistics for England for the period from January to December 2011.
The proportion of household waste that was recycled, composted or reused in England was 42.9 per cent in the period, increasing from 41.5 per cent in the financial year April 2010 to March 2011.
Household waste generation has also decreased by 0.9 per cent to 23.2 million tonnes, according to the provisional estimates.
Other findings include:
- Waste generation has decreased to 445 kilogrammes (kg) per person, of which 191kg was recycled, reused or composted.
- Local authority collected waste sent to landfill has declined by 11 per cent to 10.1 million tonnes.
- Local authority collected waste generated has decreased by 1.4 per cent to 25.9 million tonnes.
- The percentage of local authority collected waste being recycled, composted or reused increased to 41.9 per cent (from 40.4 per cent), continuing a long-term upward trend.
- Local authority collected waste disposed of at landfill has halved since 2001/02 (when it totalled 78 per cent) and is now at 39 per cent.
- More local authority collected waste was recycled, composted or reused (10.8 million tonnes) than was disposed of into landfill (10.1 million tonnes).
- Data collected since 2006/07 has indicated an annual average decrease of 1.6 per cent in household waste generation.
Though trends are largely positive, the release also indicates that household sources accounted for 90 per cent of all local authority collected waste in the 2011 calendar year, and that when compared to the calendar year 2010, there was a 0.3 per cent increase in the amount of waste collected from household sources. Compared to the 2010/11 financial year, however, the Defra statistics show a 0.9 per cent decrease in waste collected from household sources.
The provisional ‘Local Authority Collected Waste Management Statistics For England’ can be found on DEFRA’s website. Final annual results for 2011/12 will be released in November of this year.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.