Council Is First To Hit 70 Percent Recycling And Composting Rate
23 August 2011
For the first time ever in the UK, a local council has recorded a 70 Percent recycling, reuse and composting rate according to a letsrecycle survey
letsrecyle.com's annual independent survey of official government data found South Oxfordshire's 70.56 percent rate for the year April 2010 to March 2011 was five percentage points higher than second-placed Rochford's 65.46 percent.
Biffa-serviced Surrey Heath Borough Council was ranked third with a 64.73 percent rate (up from 36th the year before). Letsrecycle.com described its dry recycling rate of 52.68 percent as "extraordinary".
In seventh place was Stratford-on-Avon District Council another Biffa client, with a recycling, reuse and composting rate of 59.3 percent. Just seven per cent separated second from tenth.
letsrecycle's survey comes several months before Defra's publication of its official recycling league tables in the autumn, and is generally regarded as a reliable performance indicator.
Higher Standard
Biffa municipal development director Pete Dickson said South Oxfordshire's performance sets "the gold standard" for local authority recycling, adding "this outstanding result reflects how council, contractor and residents worked together to add over 50 percent to the council's recycling and composting rate within 18 months of a new service launch."
Last year, South Oxfordshire won the 2010 LARAC award for the most improved recycling local authority. As part of a joint council contract, Biffa provides an identical service for adjoining Vale of White Horse District Council, and its performance to date is even better than South Oxfordshire.
In July, Surrey Heath won the local authority target success category of the National Recycling Awards after it beat its 60 percent target rate 15 years early. Surrey County Council has just reported that it has achieved a 50 percent household waste recycling rate nearly a decade ahead of target.
Darrel Moore
