Household annual recycling rates have fallen in the South East for the first time since modern records began in 2000/01.
Analysis of government figures by SUEZ, a utility company which operates largely in the water treatment and waste management, shows that the South East’s household recycling rate has fallen for the financial year to end March 2016, declining to 44.5% from 45% in 2014/15.
The South East’s recycling performance is part of a wider trend across England where the 2015/16 recycling rates fell nationally for the first time in 16 years. England’s recycling rate for 2015/16 was 43.9%, a fall of 0.8% from 44.7% in 2014/15 and down from 44.5% in 2013/14.
South Oxfordshire District Council retains the highest household recycling rate in the South East, whilst the Isle of Wight Council comes in at 29th in the region with a recycling rate of 45.2%.
David Palmer-Jones, CEO for SUEZ recycling and recovery in the UK, said:
“The introduction of more charging by local authorities for green collections – largely garden waste – may be deterring many households from putting their cuttings out for collection and recycling rates are still measured largely by weight of materials collected, with green waste tending to be wetter and heavier rather than measuring the quality and reuse value of recyclable materials collected.
“Separate latest annual household recycling figures for the whole of the UK give a picture for the earlier 12 month period, the calendar year to the end of December and recycling rates for the whole of the UK fell for the first time in five years of such data recording. The UK’s annual rate of recycling for calendar year to end December 2015 was down 0.6% to 44.3% from 44.9% in 2014.
“The UK is at a tipping point and without radical change to improve England’s household recycling rates the UK will not meet its EU agreed target of 50% recycling rates by 2020. Wales has shown England that it is possible to come closer to that target thanks to a clear national policy of enforceable local targets with Wales achieving over 60.2% over the financial year to end-March 2016, up a strong 4% over the prior 12 month period of 2014/2015. Wales’ recycling rates continue to improve, achieving 61% for the 12 months to end-June 2016 according to analysis of official data”.
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South East Household Recycling Rates 2015/16
Source: DEFRA
| Ranking | 2015/16 | Ranking |
| South Oxfordshire District Council | 66.6% | 1 |
| Vale of White Horse District Council | 64.8% | 2 |
| Surrey Heath Borough Council | 62.1% | 3 |
| West Oxfordshire District Council | 60.8% | 4 |
| Mole Valley District Council | 59.0% | 5 |
| Woking Borough Council | 58.7% | 6 |
| Oxfordshire County Council | 58.5% | 7 |
| Guildford Borough Council | 58.2% | 8 |
| Buckinghamshire County Council | 55.5% | 9 |
| Cherwell District Council | 55.1% | 10 |
| Surrey County Council | 55.0% | 11 |
| Waverley Borough Council | 54.8% | 12 |
| Tandridge District Council | 53.1% | 13 |
| Ashford Borough Council | 53.1% | 14 |
| Elmbridge Borough Council | 52.9% | 15 |
| Aylesbury Vale District Council | 52.0% | 16 |
| Wycombe District Council 1 | 51.8% | 17 |
| West Berkshire District Council | 51.8% | 18 |
| South Bucks District Council | 50.7% | 19 |
| Wealden District Council | 49.1% | 20 |
| Milton Keynes Council | 49.0% | 21 |
| Reigate and Banstead Borough Council | 48.8% | 22 |
| Maidstone Borough Council | 47.8% | 23 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council | 46.7% | 24 |
| Spelthorne Borough Council | 45.6% | 25 |
| Tunbridge Wells Borough Council | 45.6% | 26 |
| Rother District Council | 45.4% | 27 |
| Epsom and Ewell Borough Council | 45.4% | 28 |
| Isle of Wight Council | 45.2% | 29 |
| Oxford City Council | 45.1% | 30 |
| Runnymede Borough Council | 44.5% | 31 |
| Horsham District Council | 44.2% | 32 |
| Kent County Council | 44.1% | 33 |
| Shepway District Council | 44.0% | 34 |
| Canterbury City Council | 43.2% | 35 |
| Medway Borough Council | 42.7% | 36 |
| West Sussex County Council | 42.1% | 37 |
| Dover District Council | 41.7% | 38 |
| East Sussex County Council | 41.6% | 39 |
| Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council | 41.5% | 40 |
| Eastleigh Borough Council | 40.2% | 41 |
| Chichester District Council | 39.9% | 42 |
| Mid Sussex District Council | 39.2% | 43 |
| Hampshire County Council | 39.1% | 44 |
| Arun District Council | 38.3% | 45 |
| Wokingham Council | 38.0% | 46 |
| Bracknell Forest Borough Council | 38.0% | 47 |
| Hart District Council | 37.5% | 48 |
| Swale Borough Council | 36.9% | 49 |
| Eastbourne Borough Council | 35.8% | 50 |
| Gravesham Borough Council | 35.0% | 51 |
| Winchester City Council | 34.6% | 52 |
| Worthing Borough Council | 34.5% | 53 |
| East Hampshire District Council | 32.7% | 54 |
| Test Valley Borough Council | 32.6% | 55 |
| Fareham Borough Council | 32.3% | 56 |
| Reading Borough Council | 32.1% | 57 |
| Adur District Council | 32.0% | 58 |
| Sevenoaks District Council | 31.9% | 59 |
| Thanet District Council | 31.6% | 60 |
| New Forest District Council | 30.0% | 61 |
| Hastings Borough Council | 29.6% | 62 |
| Havant Borough Council | 28.6% | 63 |
| Crawley Borough Council | 27.6% | 64 |
| Southampton City Council | 27.2% | 65 |
| Slough Borough Council | 26.8% | 66 |
| Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council | 26.3% | 67 |
| Rushmoor Borough Council | 25.9% | 68 |
| Dartford Borough Council | 25.6% | 69 |
| Brighton and Hove Council | 24.6% | 70 |
| Portsmouth City Council | 23.4% | 71 |
| Gosport Borough Council | 21.8% | 72 |
| Lewes District Council | 21.5% | 73 |
