London leads the way to boost recycling rates says experts

Stadler Engineering believes local authorities across the UK should embrace London’s Environment Strategy if Britain is to meet heightened recycling targets set out in the recently ratified circular economy package.

The company is calling for a new, consistent approach to kerbside collections.

The London Mayor’s Environment Strategy, launched earlier this month, sets out a recycling target of 65 per cent by 2030.

The document calls for councils in the borough to offer collections for the six main dry recyclable materials, as well as separate caddies for food waste.

Already, businesses and individuals have voiced their support for the strategy, recognising its value in driving greater recycling rates.

However, Stadler says the entire country must adopt a similar approach and replicate this separate collection model, to really make a national difference.

“We should embrace separate collections nationwide for various fractions of both dry and organic waste. Co-mingling is not a long-term solution. It reduces recyclate quality and is often rife with contamination,” said Ruben Maistry, Sales Manager at Stadler Engineering.

“Reprocessors are demanding ever higher quality, which means that clean, easy to separate, good quality recycling is key. For us, single source recycling collections, uniform across the country, is essential to achieving this, alongside better education for householders, as to what they can and can’t recycle, of course.”

Separate collections are often viewed as an additional cost for local authorities to incur, but Stadler points to nations such as Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland as examples where best practice has been adopted, and widespread financial savings have been achieved.

Maistry added: “London’s Environment Strategy proposes a watertight approach for the Capital. We need to replicate this nationwide. It is an opportunity we must not miss.”