WE should be working towards a circular economy – as this recent article from Jenny Jones (Green Party representative in the House of Lords)says – far too much of what we are recycling is being incinerated by Local Councils. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/08/recycling-incinerated-waste-china-ban-25p-coffee-cups Lewisham Council has a very poor rate of recycling – currently only 17.1% compared to a London rate of 33.1% and a National rate of 43.7%. (2014/15 figures obtained from the Annual Monitoring Report 2016-17: https://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/planning/policy/LDF/Documents/AMRDecember16-17Final.pdf). In other countries, landfill bans for certain materials have also helped to divert waste from disposal and increase recycling and composting. Energy saved by recycling rather than burning materials: Paper 3 x; Plastic 5 x; & Textiles 6 x (Frirends of the Earth “Up in smoke” report 2003). Priority materials would include biodegradable materials, such as food, green waste, paper and cardboard. These materials need to be diverted from landfill to comply with the EU Landfill Directive (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/landfill/). The Local Government Association supports the maximisation of reusing materials “Make do and mend, pre-loved, second hand, up-cycling, reconditioning, pre-owned.”: as it has a financial benefit for tax payers by reducing the amount that councils have to pay in landfill tax and disposal; an economic benefit … Continue reading Too much recycling is going up in smoke instead of being re-used