United Kingdom – SITA UK has crafted an online interactive map using data from local authorities across the country to highlight recycling frontrunners and laggards in 2012/13. And what stands out is that the figures for London are far below average.
The map is based on the average national recycling rate of roughly 44%, displaying five different categories in total. A fair number of districts in the Greater London area fall into the bottom ′red′ or ′amber′ categories, with only below 30% or 30-40% of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting. Northern Ireland′s capital city Belfast is also in the bottom category.
The ′green′ categories cover the 50-60% and 60%-plus ranges, and include: Cardiff, Bexley, Stockport, Stratford-on-Avon, Banbridge and Larne. The most ′green′ areas are located in the West Midlands region of the UK.
′There is a good deal of publically-available data for recycling and waste services at a local authority level, but we wanted to collate this information and present it in an easy-to-understand graphical format that everyone could use – not just those with enough interest to trawl through spreadsheets,′ comments SITA UK′s chief executive David Palmer-Jones.
′If we are going to improve recycling rates, our industry needs to engage the householders that play such a vital role in the process, and providing quality, accessible information is the first step in that process.′ The colour banding will ′inevitably cause some debate′, he accepts. But the intention was not to make a political statement, rather to ′engage a wide audience′ and encourage feedback so as to refine future versions of the map.
For more information, visit: www.sita.co.uk
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