Suez report suggests blueprint to raising recycling rate

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Recycling and waste management company Suez has published a report looking at ways to meet the 2020 recycling target.

The report, At this rate… was produced by SLR Consulting on behalf of Suez and explores what England needs to do in both policy and operational terms to meet the 50% target by 2020.

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Currently, 45% of household waste is recycled.

The report said that universal mandatory weekly food collections, fortnightly residual collections, pay-as-you-throw schemes, stronger communications and reclassifying some acceptable uses of incinerator bottom ash as recycling would result in an overall uplift of 12% of the national recycling rate.

This would take the country well above the 50% target.

But the report also questions whether weight-based targets beyond 2020 are needed, as this could result in authorities chasing heavier materials such as green waste rather than valuable or complex materials such as flexible laminated packaging.

SUEZ recycling and recovery UK chief executive David Palmer-Jones (pictured) said: “We believe that this report provides England’s local authorities and wider policy-makers with a blueprint for raising our household recycling rate to the next level.

“These actions and recommendations place the 50% target within reach, but the big question is whether the country’s policy-makers and waste managers can implement the necessary changes in the short time we have available before the 2020 deadline.”