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England’s household waste recycling rate improved to 44.0 per cent for the last financial year, reversing a recent decline, although still below pre-pandemic levels and substantially below the now-dropped 50 per cent target the Government set for 2020.

The figure for ‘waste from households’ rose by 0.6 per cent in 23/24 from 43.4 the previous year, according to the latest waste management statistics released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The provisional data, published today (27 March), shows that total waste from households increased to 21.7 million tonnes in 2023. This equates to 337 kg per person, unchanged from 2022.

The amount of waste sent for recycling increased by 2.4 per cent to 9.5 million tonnes in 2023, while residual waste remained largely unchanged at 12.1 million tonnes. The increase in recycling was primarily driven by a significant 10.8 per cent rise in organic waste recycling (due to more garden waste from a wetter summer), offsetting a 2.4 per cent decrease in dry recycling materials.

Material composition shows shifts in recycling patterns

The composition of recycled materials showed notable changes in 2023, with varying performance across different waste streams. While dry recycling decreased overall, the recycling of 'other organics' – primarily garden waste – rose significantly, increasing by 0.4 million tonnes to 3.6 million tonnes.

Paper and card remained the largest component of dry recycling at 35.0 per cent, despite decreasing by 3.3 per cent to 1.9 million tonnes. Glass, the second largest material stream, fell by 5.0 per cent to 1.2 million tonnes, representing 22.7 per cent of all dry recycling.

Plastics and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) were among the material streams to show an increase, with plastic recycling increasing by 1.4 per cent to 499 thousand tonnes, and WEEE rising by 1.8 per cent to 491 thousand tonnes.

Food waste collections showed minimal change, with separately collected food waste increasing by just 0.5 per cent to 501,000 tonnes. The separate collection of food waste from businesses starting 31 March 2025, and households from 31 March 2026, is expected to increase this rate.

The table below shows the detailed breakdown of dry recycling materials and their changes between 2022 and 2023.

Table 1: Waste from households dry recycling composition in England 2022 to 2023

Discussing the statistics, Waste Minister Mary Creagh, said: "Household recycling rates have stalled over the last 15 years which is why the Government’s Plan for Change is taking swift action to kickstart the move to a circular economy.

"Our packaging reforms will streamline recycling, stimulate £10 billion of investment and create 21,000 new green jobs over the next decade – reducing carbon emissions, improving supply chain resilience and ending the throwaway society."

Local authority performance sees wide disparities

The Defra statistics highlight considerable regional and local variations in recycling performance, with recycling rates ranging from 15.8 per cent to 62.9 per cent across England's 321 local authorities.

South Oxfordshire District Council maintained its position as England's top recycling authority with a rate of 62.9 per cent, followed by Three Rivers District Council at 61.9 per cent. At the other end of the scale, Tower Hamlets London Borough recorded the lowest rate at 15.8 per cent, with Liverpool City Council at 19.2 per cent.

The data shows that 74 per cent of local authorities (237 out of 319) improved their recycling rates in 2023/24. Ten authorities achieved recycling rates above 60 per cent, up from five in the previous year.

However, three local authorities also had decreases in their recycling rate of over five percentage points. Rates decreased by 7.9 per cent in Bradford City MDC MBC, 5.8 per cent in Calderdale MBC, and 5.2 per cent in Brent LB.

Commenting on the statistics, David Gudgeon, Head of External Affairs at Reconomy brand, Reconomy Connect, said: “Household recycling rates in England have seen a marked improvement over the past two decades, but the latest figures reinforce the fact that progress has plateaued in recent years with only small, incremental gains.

“Whilst any improvement in recycling is welcomed, there is a long way to go to match Wales (66 per cent recycling). Far more has to be done as we transition to a truly circular economy."

Incineration continues to dominate waste treatment

Incineration remained the dominant waste treatment method in England, with 50.2 per cent of all local authority waste (12.6 million tonnes) sent for incineration in 2023/24. This represents an increase of 0.5 million tonnes (4.4 per cent) from the previous year.

Almost all incinerated waste (12.5 million tonnes) was processed at facilities with energy recovery, with only 86 thousand tonnes incinerated without energy recovery.

The use of incineration varied significantly by region, with London sending the highest proportion of waste (65.7 per cent) to incineration, while the Eastern region sent the lowest proportion (34.0 per cent).

Meanwhile, landfill disposal continued to decline, with just 5.5 per cent of all local authority waste (1.4 million tonnes) sent to landfill in 2023/24, representing a decrease of 22 per cent from the previous year.

Gudgeon added: “England remains heavily linear, with a significant circularity gap—characterised by an overreliance on virgin materials and insufficient focus on keeping resources in circulation and connecting waste with those who can make use of it.

“Far greater effort is needed to drive a genuine shift towards closing circularity gaps. This is essential to safeguard economic security, unlock commercial opportunities for businesses & local authorities and create a more sustainable future."

The table below outlines the recycling rates and residual per capita of all Waste Collection Authorities in England.