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UK Rises In The European Recycling League

5 March 2012

Reports that the UK has risen up the European recycling league table show the UK edged upwards in the European Union recycling league table during 2010

According to provisional figures for municipal waste in 2010 published by the EU statistical body Eurostat, the UK reached a recycling rate of 25 percent per head in 2010, composting rate of 14 percent and the total rate at approximately 39 percent.　

According to the report the UK overtook Norway to stand at the eleventh best recycler per capita throughout the Union sitting one percentage point above the European Average. The statistics show a dramatic increase in recycling in the UK over the passed decade.

The report, however, highlights that the UK's use of landfill is still above the EU average. Municipal waste sent to landfill in 2010 stood at 521kg per person, 18 percent higher than the EU average.

The Environmental Services Association's (ESA) communications officer, Rid Hollands, said of the report: "As the latest Eurostat provisional statistics show, recycling levels in the UK have risen dramatically in the last ten years or so, and our members are at the forefront of ensuring these rates continue to rise.

"However, there is still a lot more we can do as a country. As we've previously stated, there is still 11.4m tonnes of waste being sent to landfill and the UK is still some way from reaching its EU Directive target of recycling 50 percent of household waste by 2020.

"Whilst it's good to see the UK move into 11th place in the European rankings, our members need government and local government to provide a stable and sensible regulatory and planning regime if they are to invest the £10 to £20bn needed to upgrade Britain's waste infrastructure, and challenge the likes of Germany and Switzerland for top spot. ""

For details on the full Eurostat report CLICK HERE

Darrel Moore