bbc-data-unit / recycling-rates

Recycling rates fall for 14 million homes in England

Recycling rates fall for 14 million homes in England

In March 2018 David Rhodes reported that recycling rates of councils serving 14 million households in England had fallen over five years.

The story was based on an analysis of statistics held by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with quotes from experts, politicians, councillors and councils with the biggest drops.

Get the data

• Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables
• Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government: Local authority revenue expenditure and financing
• Local Government Intelligence Unit (LGIU): State of Local Government Finance Survey 2018 (cached here)

Interviews and quotes

• Carl Quartermain, Friends of Redcar (community action group) and councillor
• Jennifer Glover, Local Government Intelligence Unit (LGIU)
• Margaret Bates, professor of sustainable waste management at the University of Northampton
• Spokesperson, Hartlepool Council
• Spokesperson, Derby City Council
• Martin Tett, Councillor, Local Government Association (LGA)
• Thérèse Coffey, Environment minister

Visualisation

• Infographic: Recycling in England 2016-17
• Bar chart: Change in household waste recycling rates, English regions 2010/11 to 2016/17
• Bar chart: Real terms spending on recycling services in England 2010-2017 (2016-17 prices)
• Bar chart: Councils with the largest falls in recycling rates 2011-12 to 2016-17