Household Waste Recycling has Doubled in Last Four Years, Says Defra

Household Waste Recycling has Doubled in Last Four Years, Says Defra

LONDON, September 14/PRNewswire/ --

- B-Roll Footage Available 1430-1445BST Tuesday, September 13

(refeed - see below for full details)

Recycling of household waste has doubled in the last four years, according to new provisional figures published today (14 September 2005) by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

The figures show that English households recycled more than a fifth of their waste, (approaching 23%) in 2004/05. They are the first signal of recycling rates in 2004/05 which, though unaudited, provide a good indication of the level being achieved.

Performance around the country varies with, on average, residents in the North East recycling the least (16%) and people in East of England recycling the most (29%). The greatest leap has been in the East Midlands, up 7% on last year to 27%.

Local Environmental Quality Minister, Ben Bradshaw, said: "We've doubled the amount we recycle in just four years. These figures prove how much more people understand the importance of recycling compared to even just four years ago."

According to WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme), every household could recycle up to 60% of its waste.

This is reflected in some European recycling rates: Germany recycles 57% of its waste; Netherlands recycles 64%; and Denmark 41%, a figure that some English local authorities, like Lichfield, are already reaching.

Also today, Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign for England, has announced today that it will receive a further GBP20 million funding from Defra to build on the success of the campaign and encourage more people to recycle more household waste more often.

Recycle Now, delivered by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) on behalf of the Government, was launched in September 2004 with funding of GBP10 million until March 2006. The campaign was spearheaded by a series of TV adverts featuring the voice of comedian Eddie Izzard.

Defra has provided a range of funding and support measures for local authorities to boost recycling, and Defra and WRAP are continuing to work with local authorities and retailers to pilot and roll out new ways - from new technology at recycling 'bring' banks to financial incentives such as discount vouchers - to get people recycling more.

PR Newswire is making video footage available to broadcasters, free of charge, via a BT Tower local ends feed or on tape hard copy.

The footage, 13'36" in duration, shows the following:

KERBSIDE COLLECTION

1. Refuse collectors collecting recycling boxes, tipping refuse into truck

RECYCLING CENTRES

Leyland, Lancashire

2. Woman loading recycling box into car, driving off

3. Woman arrives at recycling centre, puts bottles and cans into respective containers

4. Wide of recycling centre

5. Residents putting waste in various containers - metal, cardboard, newspapers, cans, bottles

RECYCLE NOW LAUNCH - LONDON, SEPTEMBER 2004

6. Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent posing for photographers

7. Pinsent gets into motorised can

8. Can driving across Covent Garden piazza

9. Matthew Pinsent talking about importance of recycling

30-SECOND CAN ADVERT

10. Recycle Now TV advert about recycling cans, featuring voice of Eddie Izzard

ALUMINIUM RECYCLING (MUTE)

11. Sequence showing cans being recycled, and reclaimed aluminium being made into new cans

10-SECOND PAPER ADVERT

12. Recycle Now TV ad about recycling newspapers

PAPER RECYCLING (MUTE)

13. Sequence showing newspapers being recycled, and reclaimed paper being made into new newsprint

10-SECOND GLASS ADVERT

14. Recycle Now advert about recycling bottles

GLASS RECYCLING

15. Sequence showing bottles being recycled and turned into new bottles

30-SECOND COMPOST ADVERT

16.Recyle Now advert about garden compost

COMPOST BIN DISTRIBUTION

17. WRAP-sponsored compost bins being distributed at Ipswich, Suffolk, July 2005

18. Members of public saying why they will be using a compost bin

GARDEN WASTE RECYCLING (MUTE)

19. Garden waste being turned into compost at Hollybush Garden Centre, Walsall, Staffs - Britain's largest garden waste recycling site.

In order to receive the feed, please ask your MCR to book onto the following local ends at the following times:

DATE: TUESDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2005 TIME: 1430-1445 BST (1330-1345 GMT) TECH. ORIGIN: Cast/Inmedia, London, tel. +44-(0)20-7182-6307/8 LOCAL END: FL/Inmedia 11

Source: WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme)

For enquiries about the video footage, or for a hard copy on Beta SP, please contact: Dagmar Mackett, PR Newswire, Tel: +44-(0)20-7454-5371 or e-mail dagmar.mackett@prnewswire.co.uk. For further information about WRAP and RecycleNow, please contact Recycle Now Press Office: Helen Wills, helen@ptarmiganpr.co.uk, or Denise Raven, Denise@ptarmiganpr.co.uk, Tel: +44-(0)113-242-1155

------- Profile: Ent