"While more needs to be done to boost recycling to reach national targets and even higher standards, avoiding creating waste in the first place is the best way to decrease how much ends up in landfill."
Responding to the National Audit Office’s report The government’s resources and waste reforms for England, Cllr Linda Taylor, environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “Councils work hard to maintain recycling rates and divert millions of tonnes of waste from landfill. While more needs to be done to boost recycling to reach national targets and even higher standards, avoiding creating waste in the first place is the best way to decrease how much ends up in landfill.
“For this to happen, businesses and manufacturers need to build waste reduction and the reuse of packaging into their operations, and local authorities need certainty on the timetable for implementation of the full set of Defra’s reforms to waste and recycling. This must include ensuring there are no further delays to the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.
“Currently local taxpayers foot the bill for processing the waste, often dealing with excessive packaging and the challenges of material that is difficult to recycle.
“Every place is different, and what works for reducing waste in an urban tower block is different for a rural cottage. Councils need the flexibility to meet the needs of communities and play their lead role working with government, industry, and communities to lead this change in partnership.“