The proportion of waste that is recycled has remained almost unchanged, meaning the Government has still not met its target to recycle 50% of household waste, a report has found.
According to the Institute for Government’s (IfG) annual public services stocktake, the proportion of household waste sent for recycling was 41.5% in 2021-22.
In 2021-21, the figure was 41.4%, which was the lowest level in almost a decade.
The Government had set a target to recycle 50% of household waste by 2020. It also has a target to recycle 65% by 2035, but the Climate Change Committee has suggested it is also off course to meet this.
For the fifth year in a row incineration exceeded recycling as the most used method of waste disposal in 2021-22, with 47.4% of waste incinerated.
Spending on waste collection and disposals decreased slightly in 2021-22 – both falling by 3.3% in real terms – while the volume of waste disposals increased by 0.9% over the year.
The IfG found overall satisfaction with councils fell to 60% in 2023. Satisfaction with waste services fell slightly, from 81% to 79% between June 2022 and 2023.
For more on the IfG report, visit LocalGov.
