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Recycled material doesn’t end up as foreign landfill
• I READ with interest your article on recycling and would like to correct some factual inaccuracies it contained (The dirty secret of where your recycling really goes, May 15) .
First of all it is worth noting that a “co-mingled” collection of recyclable materials is the preferred collection method of many councils, not just Camden.
This is not simply “lumping all types of waste together” but a strategic approach to collecting recycled materials that makes it as easy as possible for residents to recycle – it goes in either the recycling container or the general waste bin – and actually reduces the likelihood of contamination resulting from the wrong material being put in the wrong receptacle.
Another benefit of co-mingled collections is that they reduce lorry movements as there are fewer trucks collecting the various materials.
Research suggests it is also the preferred method for most residents, who would rather not have several different containers for the different recyclable materials, in addition to their normal waste bin.
Working in partnership with Camden Council, we encourage all residents to recycle as much as possible and we try to make this as convenient as we can for everyone.
Second, I would like to counter the claims made by Councillor Alexis Rowell that “contaminated recycling can only be processed abroad” and that “it is perfectly possible that it isn’t used in industrial processes at all, just dumped in landfill anyway”.
The fact is that it is illegal under the Transfrontier Shipment Regulations to send contaminated materials abroad, which is why all materials are sorted and separated here in the UK. Veolia Environmental Services is fully compliant with these regulations and materials are only shipped to countries that have officially responded to European Union Commission requests and confirmed their willingness to receive such materials under Green List controls.
We hold complete records of all end-user destinations, which are accessible to both the regulatory authorities and auditors of the Environmental Services Association Recycling Registration Service code of practice, to which Veolia has been accredited.
There is absolutely no danger of recycled materials ending up in foreign landfill sites.
The assertion that “if we took it to landfill we’d do less damage to the environment” is completely inaccurate.
Landfill is London’s, the UK’s and Europe’s least favourable disposal option and the least environmentally friendly. It is the greatest contributor to emissions of greenhouse gases from all the waste treatment and disposal options and we are running out of landfill capacity in this country anyway, so there is even less incentive to landfill our waste.
Ideally, we would more than welcome a scenario whereby we would not have to send any recyclables abroad and we hope that this will be the case in the not too distant future.
However, at this point in time, as was pointed out in the article, there are not enough facilities to process and remanufacture everything the UK recycles, so the next best option is to send them to countries that are not only willing to receive them but have the capacity to do so.
Pascal Hauret
London Municipal Services Director
Veolia Environmental Services
Borough is a top performer
• FAR from not being able to cope, Camden is in the top 10 of London boroughs for its recycling performance and in the top five for dry recyclables (The dirty secret of where your recycling really goes, May 15).
It’s no secret that some recyclables are sent abroad, this is not just a Camden issue it affects local authorities across the country. We recognise that recycling is a global market and unfortunately this means too much of what we recycle goes abroad.
We would much rather deal with our recycling locally as this is the more sustainable option. Meanwhile, separating items would better ensure their quality.
This is the future we envisage and we are currently looking to find alternatives to sending our recycling out of the country.
While this work is taking place co-mingled collection remains a better option than sending items to landfill with its major environmental and financial costs. There are also some positives with Friends of the Earth recognising the benefit of ensuring boats returning to Asia are not heading back empty.
Our landfill sites are quickly running out of space and it’s critical we aren’t dumping anything that could be recycled or reused. At the same time the EU landfill directive has set decreasing annual landfill targets for local authorities and will impose prohibitive fines for every tonne of waste that is landfilled.
Camden Council has a continued commitment to find new and better ways to tackle the huge challenge we face in managing Camden’s waste. It’s essential that this is done in a more sustainable way that causes least damage to the environment.
It’s so important that we all continue to do our part – reducing what we throw away, reusing what we can and recycling wherever possible – because recycling is worth it and it makes a big difference.
Cllr Keith Moffitt
Leader, Camden Council
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