Devon among best counties for recycling despite slight reduction

Devon County Council remains one of the best performing authorities in the country for recycling, despite a slight fall in the recycling rate.

A report which will go before the Devon Authorities Waste Reduction and Recycling Committee later this week (19 June) shows that during 2012/13, Devon’s recycling centres continued to increase the amount of waste recycled, with a 2% rise helping them reach 80%. However, the county’s overall recycling rate decreased by 0.4% to 54.8%.

The reduction has been put down to the wet weather affecting garden waste quantities, which fell by 2%. Paper and textiles were down almost 8% across all collections routes with fewer newspapers being bought and therefore recycled, and the increasing competition through charity doorstep collections or ‘cash for clothes’ schemes.

The County Council is calling on residents to maintain their efforts and help rise to the challenge of reducing the amount of waste produced and increasing recycling.

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Councillor for Environment and Communities, said: “Residents in Devon should be thanked for their continued support in helping us maintain our recycling rate at around 55%, despite a marginal fall. Devon is still among the best counties in the country when it comes to recycling, and our close work with the District and City Councils as waste collection authorities has helped us make significant improvements over the past 20 years, considering the early low rates of just 2% in 1990/91.

“Recycling rates can fluctuate, and we face a challenge every year to keep on improving the level of recycling. If Devon’s residents continue to help us recycle more and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, not only is it good for the environment but it also saves money compared to residual waste disposal.”

The 2012/13 reduction in recycling rate for Devon was due to a 1% increase in residual waste tonnage compared to 2011/12 as well as a 0.8% reduction in the total tonnage of waste recycled.