According to the National Audit Office (NAO) more than half of the packaging that is "recycled" by those in the UK is actually being sent abroad, where it could be sent to landfill or even burned. The NAO also said that the government does not know what happens to the recycling waste it sends abroad.
The new report issued by the NAO states that the Environment Agency has only carried out 40% of the recycling checks that it planned to, and also that the government has turned a blind eye to problems in the waste system. There is therefore no proof that the packaging that is sent off for recycling is actually recycled.
Since 1998, the UK has increased its recycling rates from under a third (31%) to nearly two thirds (64%) in 2017, although the NAO now says that most of the recorded increase in recycling has been due to the UK exporting the waste problem. And although Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said in the past that the UK has to stop exporting its waste, nothing has been done to solve or address the issue. It is reported that since 2002, the amount of packaging waste being exported has increased six-fold.
Amyas Morse, the head of the NAO, said, "Twenty years ago, the government set up a complex system to subsidise packaging recycling, which appears to have evolved into a comfortable way of meeting targets without addressing the fundamental issues. The government should have a much better understanding of the difference this system makes and a better handle on the risks associated with so much packaging waste being recycled overseas."
Currently, any company handling over 50 tonnes of packaging a year, and which has an annual turnover of £2m or more, must join a packaging scheme to manage the recovery and recycling of the packaging waste. Although the NAO believes that firms could be over-stating the amount they recycle.
In 2016, the packaging scheme raised £50m to be spent on the recycling system, Speaking about the scheme, a government spokesperson said it has increased recycling rates significantly, "However, there is much more to do. We don’t recycle enough waste, and we export too much of it. That’s why we have already committed to overhaul the system, and we will set out our reforms in the Resources and Waste Strategy later this year.”
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