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TIDY RESULT ; Mountain of Waste is Reduced for First Time As Families Recycle More

Posted on: Tuesday, 2 August 2005, 06:00 CDT

RECYCLING is beginning to bring down the waste mountain, it was revealed yesterday.

The total amount of waste collected by council binmen has fallen for the first time.

Across England councils collected 29.1million tonnes of rubbish in the 12 months up to March 2004.

The figure is one per cent down on the previous 12 months.

And over the same period the amount recycled by the average household went up from 14 per cent of the total waste thrown out to 17 per cent.

Some 79 per cent of households now have kerbside collections of recyclable rubbish - and the amount collected increased by 52 per cent.

Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "This is a step in the right direction but I want the upward trend to continue.

"Our targets are achievable but we all have to play our part." The Government estimates that 60 per cent of all household waste could be recycled.

It has a target of getting 30 per cent of it recycled by 2010.

And it wants councils to do more to boost kerbside collection and increase the number of glass and paper recycling bins available.

But Friends of the Earth's Martin Williams said the Government should set "new and tougher targets" for councils.

He said: "Councils have done well to meet targets the Government have set already.

"But those targets have not been ambitious by international standards."

The figures showed the proportion of waste councils pour into landfill sites has continued to fall - from 75 per cent to 72 per cent.

Councils are also recycling more.

It went up from 7.3million tonnes to 8.1million, just under a quarter of the total.

There has been growing concern at the huge amount of rubbish being poured into landfill sites.

The Council for the Protection of Rural England has warned that the countryside is being destroyed by waste dumping because of the traffic, noise and dust it creates.

Landfills are taking up increasing amounts of space - the CPRE reckons that in some areas you are never more than 10 minutes away from the nearest dump.

Depositing waste in landfill sites is cheaper than the alternatives.

The Government had looked at using incinerators to burn waste.

But these have proved controversial because they cause pollution and contribute to global warming.

Recycling is seen as the most effective option for cutting waste and reducing the amount going to landfill.

There has also been concern at the wide difference between areas of the country in the amount they recycle.

In the Eastern region 23.4 per cent of rubbish is recycled.

However in the North East it is only 12.3 per cent and in London 13.3 per cent.

The figures released by the Office for National Statistics also showed the average household produces 1.2 tonnes of waste a year.

Decomposable rubbish which is turned into compost is the most common form of recycled material followed by paper and card.

Source: Daily Mirror

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