Borough is one of capital's least green according to new figures
Figures released by DEFRA show Wandsworth as the third worst local London authority in relation to recycling rates.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs statistics show a drop of 3% in the percentage of waste that is recycled. In 2012/13 23.5% of the borough's waste was recycled, but in 2013/14 this has reduced to 20.4%.
The recycling rate is half that of top performing local authorities, including neighbouring Richmond where 43.3% of waste is recycled and Kingston where 46.3% is recycled. The top performer in the Defra Statsistics is Bexley, where over half of the waste is recycled (55.2%).
Despite Wandsworth offering a simple 'one bag takes all' recycling system which would appear to make it easier to recycle and therefore should result in high rate, Bexley offer a more complex system of four coloured item specific boxes for food & garden waste, paper, plastic packaging & cans and one for glass, plus a wheely bin for general rubbish.
| Local Authority Household Waste Statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authority | 2013/4 | 2012/3 | - | ||||
| Total waste (tonnes) | Recycled (tonnes) | Recycled (%) | Total waste (tonnes) | Recycled (tonnes) | Recycled (%) | Change in recycling rate | |
| Newham | 99,770 | 17,609 | 17.6% | 103912 | 21860 | 21.0% | -3.4% |
| Lewisham | 106,726 | 18,850 | 17.7% | 110390 | 22116 | 20.0% | -2.4% |
| Wandsworth | 94,197 | 19,254 | 20.4% | 96643 | 22672 | 23.5% | -3.0% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 52,599 | 10,801 | 20.5% | 55336 | 12539 | 22.7% | -2.1% |
| Westminster City Council | 90,338 | 19,038 | 21.1% | 88893 | 19288 | 21.7% | -0.6% |
| Lambeth | 93,339 | 19,728 | 21.1% | 92807 | 21089 | 22.7% | -1.6% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 88,183 | 21,873 | 24.8% | 82209 | 22066 | 26.8% | -2.0% |
| Hackney | 81,496 | 20,734 | 25.4% | 81201 | 19672 | 24.2% | 1.2% |
| Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | 53,771 | 13,683 | 25.4% | 53018 | 14012 | 26.4% | -1.0% |
| Tower Hamlets | 68,160 | 19,076 | 28.0% | 66273 | 17659 | 26.6% | 1.3% |
| Redbridge | 102,862 | 30,161 | 29.3% | 98542 | 29012 | 29.4% | -0.1% |
| Camden | 72,732 | 21,327 | 29.3% | 68900 | 21349 | 31.0% | -1.7% |
| Havering | 103,465 | 32,606 | 31.5% | 98088 | 33910 | 34.6% | -3.1% |
| Waltham Forest | 99,504 | 32,409 | 32.6% | 97090 | 29923 | 30.8% | 1.8% |
| Islington | 60,820 | 19,877 | 32.7% | 62256 | 19430 | 31.2% | 1.5% |
| Southwark | 109,236 | 37,469 | 34.3% | 106492 | 32410 | 30.4% | 3.9% |
| Hounslow | 92,582 | 32,533 | 35.1% | 91648 | 31989 | 34.9% | 0.2% |
| Haringey | 88,080 | 31,545 | 35.8% | 89503 | 28505 | 31.8% | 4.0% |
| Barnet | 143,666 | 52,223 | 36.4% | 141828 | 46968 | 33.1% | 3.2% |
| Sutton | 74,225 | 27,504 | 37.1% | 74200 | 27147 | 36.6% | 0.5% |
| City of London | 3,759 | 1,459 | 38.8% | 3817 | 1401 | 36.7% | 2.1% |
| Greenwich | 104,335 | 40,514 | 38.8% | 97260 | 38754 | 39.8% | -1.0% |
| Merton | 67,963 | 26,420 | 38.9% | 67516 | 26272 | 38.9% | 0.0% |
| Enfield | 122,392 | 47,877 | 39.1% | 117375 | 45598 | 38.8% | 0.3% |
| Ealing | 98,690 | 39,625 | 40.2% | 95129 | 38547 | 40.5% | -0.4% |
| Brent | 92,106 | 37,587 | 40.8% | 90302 | 38371 | 42.5% | -1.7% |
| Croydon | 130,738 | 55,114 | 42.2% | 131365 | 58398 | 44.5% | -2.3% |
| Hillingdon | 101,560 | 43,822 | 43.1% | 100262 | 43243 | 43.1% | 0.0% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 78,054 | 33,786 | 43.3% | 75749 | 34279 | 45.3% | -2.0% |
| Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames | 61,453 | 28,449 | 46.3% | 59244 | 27490 | 46.4% | -0.1% |
| Harrow | 84,715 | 41,640 | 49.2% | 88062 | 39454 | 44.8% | 4.4% |
| Bromley | 124,741 | 61,910 | 49.6% | 121174 | 59346 | 49.0% | 0.7% |
| Bexley | 97,143 | 53,633 | 55.2% | 94897 | 51534 | 54.3% | 0.9% |
Source: DEFRA
In a campaign to increase recycling rates across the borough, Wandsworth Council is sending Recycling Advisors' to
15,000 local homes this month to help residents recycle properly.
They will give clear guidance and advice on what can, and cannot, be included in the recycling bag, and what ‘gremlins’ need to be put in with your general rubbish, such as textiles, plastic film from food containers, food waste and electrical items.
The council’s environment spokesman Jonathan Cook said: “This door-knocking campaign is part of our continuing efforts to help people recycle. It’s good for the environment and it’s good for our council tax payers - every extra tonne recycled saves £118 and every tonne of waste avoided saves £143."
He continued: “We want to encourage our residents to recycle more, so we’re giving out as much information as possible on what can go in recycling banks and bags, and what gremlins should be avoided. Most people recycle, but we want to further refine the service we offer by finding out what the barriers to recycling are and how we can help residents overcome them.”
What can you recycle in Wandsworth:
Food residue should be rinsed off before recycling and all lids should be removed as otherwise they could end up in the sorted glass, causing problems for the companies trying to recycle it back into bottles and jars. Free textile collections from your door are now available from the charity Traid, most plastic films can now be recycled at local supermarkets along with carrier bags, and the public can recycle electrical items at Smugglers Way. |
November 28, 2014