LGA responds to annual waste collection statistics

“These figures are testament to the hard work of councils in maintaining levels of recycling and diverting millions of tonnes of waste going to landfill, especially during the pressures of lockdown restrictions"


Responding to statistics on waste managed by local authorities in England in 2020/21, showing a reduction in waste sent to landfill and increase in food waste collection, Cllr Darren Rodwell, Local Government Association environment spokesperson, said:

“These figures are testament to the hard work of councils in maintaining levels of recycling and diverting millions of tonnes of waste going to landfill, especially during the pressures of lockdown restrictions, and demonstrates that the current waste collection system is working well.

“In particular, it is great to see the work councils are doing with residents to increase correct food waste disposal, with food waste collections up by 11 per cent.

“While the amount of household waste thrown away by households went up by 5.1 per cent, it is also encouraging that the amount sent to landfill has gone down by 7 per cent compared to the previous year.

“Clearly there is more to be done to boost recycling to reach national targets and even higher standards. 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 includes the new extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging, and confirmation that charging for garden waste collection will remain a local decision.

“With more people working from home, councils want to continue to work with local communities to help them better understand and recycle even more.”