Western Riverside residents some of the best recyclers in London
14 March 2008
The four south and west London boroughs that make up the Western Riverside Waste Authority region are some of London's top performers and most improved for recycling, according to Defra's latest figures for English local authorities.
The figures, covering recycling performance from 2006 to 2007, put the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth and Lambeth, in third, fifth, sixth and twelfth place respectively out of the 33 London boroughs. They also pip other large urban areas of England, including Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham and Sheffield.
The Western Riverside boroughs are also some of the lowest producers of household waste coming within the top ten London authorities for the least amount of total waste generated per capita.
Since the introduction across the region of mixed recycling collections, where residents are able to put all of their paper, cartons, glass, cans, and plastic bottles together in one orange sack or recycling bank, recycling participation has soared.
Nine out of ten residents say they now recycle everything or a lot (2007), compared with just four out of ten in 2002
65% of people consider recycling very important (2007), a six-fold increase on the 11% in 2003
73% of residents say they are fairly or very satisfied with their recycling service (2006), almost doubling from 39% in 2002
Residents in these four boroughs are also more likely to buy goods, such as toilet paper, made from recycled material. In 2006, a third of residents said they bought recycled products 'every' or 'most times' when out shopping.
And it's not just residents who are doing their bit for the environment. Between the four councils that make up the Western Riverside region, about 13% more was spent on recycled content products than the average spent by other London boroughs. Around 130 schools (40% of schools in the region) have joined 'Recycle at School', a Recycle Western Riverside education programme, which has seen schools reduce their waste by an average of 50%, with some making cuts of up to 90%.
This success can be attributed to a range of factors, but is mainly the result of: the introduction of a simple, easy to use collection system; a huge investment into recycling facilities, communication with residents and school education; and subsequently a much better informed and more motivated public.
Jason Tomlins from the Western Riverside Waste Authority says: "These four boroughs are some of the most diverse and densely populated in the UK. It is therefore hugely gratifying to see how well they are performing in relation to other authorities. I'd like to thank the residents in Western Riverside for their fantastic efforts and encourage them to continue the good work of recycling and reducing their waste."