UK recycling progress documented in interactive map

In an effort to show UK residents how their recycling efforts compare with the rest of the country, an interactive digital map of local authority recycling data has been launched. Produced by resource management company, SITA UK, the interactive tool has been released in response to recommendations made by The Ur[bin] Issue report by Keep Britain Tidy, launched earlier this month (see WMW story). SITA UK commissioned economics and planning consultancy, Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP) to produce the map, which colour-codes local authorities across the UK by their recycling rate. The online digital tool allows users to click on individual local authorities to view a range of information about recycling services, materials collected, waste arising per capita and collection frequency for each authority – which was compiled from a number of different, largely public, data sources. Data on waste collection schemes and materials were provided by WRAP and the average recycling rate figures are those reported by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for 2013 and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for the 2012/13 financial year. They will be updated on the map for the 2013/14 calendar year once officially reported later this year. The colour coding of the map aims to group local authorities relative to the national average recycling rate and the UK’s EU 2020 target of 50%. Based on the most recent officially-reported annual statistics, local authorities in England achieved an average recycling performance of around 44%, while Wales achieved 52% and Scotland achieved around 42%. Basing the average national recycling rate in the middle of the scale, local authorities falling below 30% have been coloured red, those between 30-40% coloured amber, 40-50% yellow, 50-60% green and those achieving 60%+ have been coloured dark green. The map also contains the post-2009 rural/urban classification of local authorities for England compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), to show the performance differeces between urban and rural authorities – another element of The Ur[bin] Issue report. David Palmer-Jones, chief executive officer of SITA UK, said: “One of the findings from The Urbin Issue was that householders had little understanding of the national picture, or their own authority’s recycling performance relative to others – which contributed to them feeling disengaged and unmotivated to recycle.” “The colour banding will inevitably cause some debate, and we value feedback on it so that we may consider refining future versions, but we felt that a bold, simple, banding would help to engage a wide audience – it is not intended to make a political statement.” ### Read more Deal to develop solar farms at multiple SITA UK landfill sites Somerset, UK based British Solar Renewables (BSR) has agreed a deal with waste and recycling firm, SITA UK that will see a number landfill sites turned into solar power farms to generate renewable energy for the National Grid… SITA UK acquisition opens recycling and RDF export opportunities in the UK Waste and recycling firm, SITA UK, and UK port management firm Forth Ports, have entered a long-term partnership that will see the creation of a major recycling and resource management hub based at the Port of Tilbury on the River Thames… SITA UK to supply additional 200,000 tonnes of RDF to Netherlands The UK's Environment Agency has given permission for SITA UK to supply a further 200,000 tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to a high efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) facility in the Netherlands…