RECYCLING SCHEME

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Hundreds of thousands of tons of material put out for recycling is being secretly dumped in landfill sites by councils in Britain. New figures reveal that while some householders face stiff fines for breaching recycling laws, many councils are simply dumping huge quantities of the paper, glass and plastic they collect. In some areas one item in every eight put out for recycling ends up being sent for landfill or incinerated. Local authorities blamed residents for putting the wrong rubbish in the wrong bin or failing to clean the material they try to recycle.

If recycling is “contaminated”, the bags are simply dumped anyway. The figures showed that 240,000 tons of material put out for recycling last year ended up being dumped or burned. This is likely to be the tip of the iceberg as almost half of all councils did not release figures, including major authorities such as Birmingham, Bradford, Hull and Warwickshire. In Test Valley, in Hampshire, where the local council has hired eight “bin police” to fine householders who put out the wrong rubbish, it still secretly dumped 917 of the 11,961 tons of recycling collected, almost one item in every 12.

The Local Government Association said the amount rejected was dwarfed by the 13 million tons recycled last year. A separate set of Government figures showed that Britain has imported 1,000 tons of waste from other EU countries in the past two years to use in power stations, mostly from Germany and Holland. (Source: Sunday Express, Mar/08)

Paper, bottles and plastic that millions of householders are being forced to recycle are routinely being dumped in landfill sites. Recycling companies say they are receiving tens of thousands of tons of materials from councils which are so contaminated or badly sorted that they have to be rejected or dumped. Many councils are cutting corners to meet targets for recycling and instead of being properly separated, the waste is poorly sorted and sent to specialist recycling companies that cannot then reprocess it.

Dick Searle, chief executive of the Packaging Federation, said, “The recycling infrastructure in this country is disgraceful.” Chris White, commercial manager at the Kent-based company Aylesford Newsprint, which recycles paper, said, “I want paper. I’m paying for paper but we get plastic bags, plastic bottles, some cans and textiles. I can’t find an outlet for it and it goes for landfill.” David Workman, director-general of British Glass, a trade association, said the industry was being forced to send back bottles and waste, which was then used as aggregate in roads or sent for landfill.”

A Sunday Times investigation found that:

• A paper recycling company in Kent is sending to landfill 9,000 tons a year of cans, bottles and plastics. These have been mixed up with the paper and the firm does not have the capability to process them.

• Britain’s biggest glass recycling company is sending tons of glass to roadfill because it is so contaminated.

• A Warrington-based aluminium processor, regarded as a world leader in its field, is regularly rejecting British waste because it is so poorly sorted and is importing used cans from abroad.

• Container loads of mixed recyclable materials rejected by British companies are unlawfully shipped abroad to be sorted in China, India and Indonesia.

Some councils are already threatening householders with fines if they do not recycle. Evidence shows that while residents face tough action for not separating recyclables from general rubbish, many councils are operating seriously flawed schemes. Many cannot even provide basic information on where or how the raw materials they are collecting are being recycled. Glass manufacturers are probably worst affected by the mixed recycling collections. They say once clear glass has been smashed and mixed with coloured glass and other materials and waste, it cannot be used to make new bottles and jars and is commonly used as road aggregate or sent for landfill. (Source: Times Online, Jun/07)

Families will have to sort their rubbish into at least five recycling bins on their doorstep or face penalties under new government plans. It proposes radical changes to the way households deal with their rubbish that will require many to alter their habits, or pay more if they refuse. David Miliband will bring in measures to ensure fortnightly collections are not brought in without residents having a say. And councils will be barred from introducing a 'pay as you throw' waste tax.

Key points include:

• Households will have to separate their waste into at least five different categories, such as paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and food scraps.

• Cash refunds for families who recycle of up to £50 but similar penalties for those who refuse.

• Exemptions for vulnerable groups, including pensioners, the disabled and large families on low incomes.

• A ban on councils using their recycling schemes to make money.

• Suitable bins to be provided by the council free of charge.

Mr Miliband said that local authorities should aim to collect food waste separately and on a weekly basis and if they cannot collect it separately, they should still stick to a weekly collection. He is now looking at ways of giving voters a say if a council wants to switch to a fortnightly collection, although plans are still being drawn up as to how this would work. Councils will be allowed, on a voluntary basis, to offer a "carrot and stick" approach to recycling. Households which comply could get an annual pay out of up to £50 based on how much they recycle.

However, councils who take part in the scheme will have to find a way to measure how much is being thrown out, by for example, having computer chips in bins. The scheme would be paid for by penalties on those who refuse to take part and savings to local authorities on the cost of burying waste in landfills. Other schemes councils might introduce include issuing households with a fixed number of refuse sacks each year, and giving them a refund if they use fewer or charging them for extra bags if they need more.

The government estimates that at least two out of every three households in England, roughly 17million, will be better off. For the first time councils will be allowed to offer financial incentives to reward families who make the effort to recycle, but will have to heed strict minimum conditions. Local authorities will be specifically barred from making money from the scheme, which will have to pay for itself. (Source: Daily Mail, May/07)

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