Government research shows Bromley has highest recycling rates in London

Government statistics show households in Bromley recycle more waste than any other borough in London.

Today, The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) published a London boroughs recycling scorecard that shows recycling rates across London.

This comes after the publication of Government waste statistics last Friday that revealed London has the worst recycling rates in the country.

Statistics showed households in Bromley sent 49 per cent of their waste to be recycled between 2021 and 2022, making it the best borough in London for recycling.

Sutton and Bexley were also in the top five London boroughs with 43 per cent for Sutton and 44 per cent for Bexley. 

The boroughs with the lowest rates of household waste sent for recycling in London, included Westminster, Wandsworth, Kensington & Chelsea and Newham.

Additionally, seven boroughs reported ‘dry recycling-reuse’ rates under 20 per cent. These included Lewisham and Greenwich.

In 2018 the London Mayor set recycling targets of 50 per cent of Local Authority Collected Waste by 2030.

Despite these targets, government statistics show there has been no improvement in London’s household waste recycling rate for ten years. 

To encourage change, A More Natural Capital, a coalition of environmental groups and charities convened by CPRE London, has published a ‘London Boroughs Recycling Scorecard’ for councils and residents to see how they are doing and identify areas for improvement. 

The coalition aims to publish updates annually to show where progress is, or is not, being made. 

Alice Roberts of CPRE London said: “This isn’t just an environmental disaster, it’s a huge waste of taxpayers’ money. It’s embarrassing and it’s time for action.”

A Lewisham council spokesman said: “The borough’s overall recycling rate for 2021/2022 was 28% and we are working towards London Mayor’s target of a 65 per cent municipal waste recycling rate by 2030.

“Our new Reduction and Recycling Plan was signed off at Mayor and Cabinet on March 8 with full party approval.

“It sets out our plan to improve recycling rates by expanding food waste recycling across local schools and homes, making it easier for stall holders to recycle at our markets and encouraging more residents to reduce their waste and recycle more through a series of communications campaigns.

“Much of this work is already underway and we have already seen an increase in food waste recycling as collections have been rolled out at some of our schools.”

A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: “The dry recycling reuse rates are a percentage against overall waste generation by London boroughs. Less urban boroughs collect a greater proportion of garden waste, which means they will generally see a lower dry recycling rate per household compared with urban boroughs who collect less garden waste.

“Through our innovative Towards Zero Waste campaign we have changed the way we collect waste, because we know we all need to play a part in shaping a greener future.”

Pictured Top: Recycling (Picture: Pexels)