UK leads Europe in recycling growth
Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - 09:53:16
British eco-warriors will be pleased to hear that the UK has actually topped the recycling charts in Europe when you consider the rate at which the market has grown over the past 10 years.
The Guardian reports that back in 2001, we recycled just 12 per cent of our waste, but by 2010, this has increased to 39 per cent.
This means that although the UK is not the most prolific overall recycler at the moment, it has seen the most significant shift in perceptions, thus allowing for more and more waste to be sustainably disposed of each year.
European nations are supposed to be on track to recycle at least 50 per cent of their waste by 2020, although current trends suggest that some might fall short of this target.
Romania is one of the worst offenders, with just one per cent of its waste being recycled. Meanwhile, both Norway and Finland have actually seen recycling fall by a couple of percentage points recently, in spite of the fact that their rates are still higher than the UK's average.
Britain has managed to improve the rates of recycling, thanks to a multi-pronged strategy implemented over the past 10 years. As well as raising public awareness through ad campaigns, the government has made it much easier for people to recycle waste by improving the infrastructure.
In spite of the positive figures seen here, most insiders believe that there is still a long way to go before the UK and Europe as a whole are truly taking advantage of recycling services.
Wasteful practices mean that recyclable items often end up in landfill, either because of consumer stubbornness or a lack of awareness.
Hopefully, the UK will continue to lead Europe when it comes to growth in recycling rates over the next decade.
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