Tuesday 29st April 2008
Co-mingled and MRF Rejection Rates Underline Value of Kerbside Sorted Collections
The Campaign for Real Recycling today commented on new statistics announced by Defra minister Joan Ruddock on Friday in response to questions from Newport MP Jessica Morden. These were that during 2006-07, local authorities reported a total of 89,000 tonnes collected for recycling from household sources as rejected for disposal at a MRF and a further 32,000 tonnes that were rejected at the gate of a recycling processor. These stats are based on data reported by local authorities to WasteDataFlow. Expressed as a percentage of the 1.3 million tonnes of municipal waste sent to sorting facilities, this means that over 9% of material set out for recycling doesn’t actually get recycled.
Andy Moore, campaign coordinator, said: “Householders should be disappointed and frustrated to hear this figure. They have made the effort to save and sort their recyclables and they’ve paid for the collection via their council tax. That over 9% of the materials and the money are being wasted simply cannot be good for recycling, depending as it does on householder goodwill. This is also a serious value for money question for local authorities.
“It’s important to note that knowing the rejection rate of the MRF tells us nothing about the quality of material sent for reprocessing. It seems to us that the co-mingling and MRF processes decrease quality and can easily create rejects from materials which left the householder in good order. All this strengthens the case for kerbside-sorted collections where careful handling maintains quality and reject rates are typically a fraction of one percent.”
Information for Editors:
1. The Campaign for Real Recycling wants central government and local authorities to act urgently to improve the quality of materials collected for recycling in the UK. Real recycling is about maximising the economic, environmental and social benefits of recycling for everyone, from the local council tax payer to the global re-processing industry. Our concern is that collection systems that gather a range of different materials in one bag or bin and then compact them could permanently undermine the environmental and financial benefits of recycling. Our campaign aims to influence local authority policy and practice, and build consensus within the UK of the economic and environmental importance of highly separated collections.
2. Campaign for Real Recycling supporters include:
3. Extract from Hansard Friday 25th April 2008
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tonnage of material leaving materials recovery facilities was sent to another materials recovery facility for further treatment in the last 12 months.
Joan Ruddock: DEFRA does not hold the information requested. Local authorities are not required to report material sent from one materials recovery facility to another.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tonnage of materials collected for recycling from households was delivered to the gates of materials recovery facilities in the last 12 months.
Joan Ruddock: During 2006-07, the latest complete validated data available, 1.3 million tonnes of municipal waste collected for recycling in England was sent to a materials recovery facility for further treatment. This is based on data reported by local authorities to WasteDataFlow.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tonnage of materials collected for recycling from households was rejected at the gate of a (a) materials recovery facility and (b) recycling processor in the last 12 months.
Joan Ruddock: During 2006-07, the latest complete validated data available, local authorities reported a total of 89,000 tonnes collected for recycling from household sources as rejected for disposal at a materials recovery facility and a further 32,000 tonnes that were rejected at the gate of a recycling processor. This is based on data reported by local authorities to WasteDataFlow.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to maximise the proportion of recovered materials that reach end reprocessors in a clean state.
Joan Ruddock: A number of factors determine the quality of recyclable materials, including market price, source, and methods of collection and separation. The Government provide support and advice on recycling to businesses and local authorities via the DEFRA-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of materials were sent from materials recovery facilities to (a) landfill sites and (b) energy from waste facilities in the last 12 months.
Joan Ruddock: Of the 89,000 tonnes of municipal waste collected for recycling in 2006-07 and rejected at a materials recovery facility, 55,000 tonnes were sent to landfill and nearly 34,000 tonnes were sent for incineration with energy recovery. This is based on data reported by local authorities to WasteDataFlow.
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