What proportion of England’s waste is actually recycled?
One answer is: not enough, less than half, and the proportion is falling. A more statistical answer is: the recycling rate in England has dropped from 44.8% in 2014 to 43.9% in 2015. The rate has fallen for the first time ever, prompting calls for a tax on packaging and meaning EU targets are now almost certain to be missed.
The amount of rubbish sent to recycling plants by householders had been steadily increasing for more than a decade, but more recently flatlined for three years. The fall back to levels not seen since before 2012 will be an embarrassment for ministers, who pledged to lead the first government to leave the environment better than they found it.
It also means the UK as a whole is almost guaranteed to miss an EU target of recycling at least 50% of its household waste by 2020, as England’s size means it accounts for much of the rubbish the country produces. Wales is far ahead of England with households recycling 61% of waste, while Scotland is on 44.2%.
More information here.