Recycling rate in Burnley worsens

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy said a simpler recycling system is needed as England falls "further and further behind" its European neighbours.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures show 29,736 tonnes of waste were collected by Burnley Borough Council in the year to March 2023.

Of this, about 9,369 tonnes were sent for reuse, recycling or composting – meaning the area had a recycling rate of 31.5%.

It was down from the year before when 32.2% of household waste was sent for recycling.

Across England, the recycling rate also fell – from 42.5% in 2021-22 to 41.7% last year. All regions had decreases in their recycling rates, except for London which saw no change.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "It is disappointing to see our recycling rates falling at a time when we should be doing more than ever to stop valuable materials being buried or burned.

"We are falling further and further behind some of our neighbours in Europe. In Germany, 71% of municipal waste is recycled and Slovenia has seen recycling rates increase from 22% in 2010 to 60% in 2021."

Overall, total local authority managed waste in England decreased by 6% to 24.5 million tonnes in the recent year.

The figures also show the estimated household waste fell from 417.2 kilograms per person in 2021-22 to 390.2 kilograms last year.

In Burnley, about 313.9 kilograms of household waste was recorded per person last year – down from 333.4 kilograms in 2021-22.

Despite the overall reduction in waste collected from households, she said the amount of rubbish generated per person must be "dramatically cut".

"We will do this by reducing the amount of 'stuff' we buy and repairing or reusing what we already own," she added.