Recycling rates in London declining in half of boroughs as city falls behind UK

Nearly half of London’s boroughs recycled a smaller percentage of household waste this year than in 2016/17, with the city ranking bottom of the table for recycling compared to rest of country.

In the latest statistics released by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 15 out of the 33 boroughs reported lower recycling rates this year.

Although Sutton made huge improvements, leaping from 36.5 per cent last year to recycling 50 per cent of household waste this year, many boroughs at the top of the table appear to have stagnated, with Bexley, Ealing and Hillingdon all seeing their rates fall.

The difference between the best and worst performing boroughs is stark – with Bexley recycling 52.1 per cent of its household waste, compared to just 14.1 per cent in Newham – a difference of 38 percentage points.

London is also bottom of the table compared to the rest of the country, with an average of just 33.1 per cent of all household waste being recycled, compared to 49 per cent for the leaders in the South West.

A spokeswoman at Newham council said: “Newham is a densely populated borough with a large number of flats, high levels of diversity, transience and relative deprivation, all of which are recognised factors in adversely affecting recycling rates. The borough also collects a relatively small amount of garden waste, which is a major contributor towards recycling in high-performing areas.

“Contamination continues to be a problem, for which Newham has tried a number of innovative approaches, including door-to-door visits by a dedicated engagement team, advertising, marketing and direct engagement with residents via citizen assemblies.

“Newham Council is engaging directly with residents to better understand the barriers to recycling, in order to try to find ways around them, so recycling can be improved.”