WRAP has been supporting Local Authorities consider the implications of adopting greater consistency in recycling for the past 5 years, with many authorities benefiting from our bespoke technical support.
Three Rivers District Council in Hertfordshire was officially the best local authority at recycling in 2019/20, figures published by Defra on 3rd March.
The council’s household waste recycling rate rose from 63% in 2018/19 to 64.1%.
South Oxfordshire District Council had the second highest recycling rate at 64%, while the champions of 2018/19, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, completed the top three with a rate of 63.3%.
The Environment Agency is establishing a biennial National Waste Crime Survey to inform the continual development of its intelligence-led approach to stop crime impacting the waste industry, the environment and communities.
We now have a four-step (well, sort of five-step) “cautious” roadmap out of lockdown, the vaccination programme is working well, days are getting longer, and spring was definitely in the air when I wrote this, so it does feel like there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Which lockdown easing measure caught your eye first? Restaurants? Hairdressers? Holidays? Schools? Whichever it was, what we do know is that Lateral Flow Device (LFD) testing is becoming a growth area to gain our freedom.
Changes in consumer behaviour during the pandemic have put added pressure on the availability of scarce and precious resources. Initial panic buying and the continued growth in online shopping, alongside delivery speed expectations, have resulted in higher demand and rising transportation costs. We must continue to encourage reduction in use, reuse and recycling of valuable resources like clothing, food, and packaging, where safe and practical, to eliminate, or at least minimise waste.