England has one of the worst recycling rates in the developed world, according to an international league table published yesterday.
The country is just 18th in a comparison of the nations which carry out recycling with the greatest efficiency.
The analysis of the best countries at recycling household waste found that England lagged behind Germany and other EU countries.
By contrast, Wales is among the top performers, with more than half of the refuse left out by families for binmen or taken to tips going for recycling.
England has one of the worst recycling rates in the developed world, according to an international league table published yesterday
The disappointing figures for England follow years of failure to achieve recycling targets and the widespread unpopularity of compulsory recycling methods imposed by local councils.
The replacement of weekly bin collections with fortnightly collections of general waste, backed by complex recycling systems and fierce penalties for those who failed to comply, have not won over the public.
The report on the performance of different countries at recycling waste was produced by the Eunomia consultancy, an organisation that has been called in regularly to carry out research by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
It put England at 18th on a list of 24 developed nations for the quality of its recycling.
The report’s figures – adjusted so that figures collected by different means in different countries can be properly compared – said the best recycling rates are found in Germany, Wales, South Korea, Taiwan and the Netherlands.
In Europe, only Poland, Northern Ireland and France are considered to perform worse than England, which recycles 42.8 per cent of household waste, the report said.
It said better recycling rates are a result of measures such as compulsory household recycling schemes and financial incentives including green taxes.
The report comes at a time of deepening concern over the impact of dumped plastic on both land and ocean environments, and amid worries that China will cease accepting shipments of plastic waste for recycling from Britain.
The country is just 18th in a comparison of the nations which carry out recycling with the greatest efficiency (file photo)
Eunomia chief Dominic Hogg said: ‘We know that the public is concerned about the growing problem of waste, especially the way plastics are dealt with. I hope that Michael Gove’s determination to deliver a green Brexit means that by the time we revisit this report, we are already moving back up the recycling league, or are set to do so.’
Under EU rules the UK must recycle 50 per cent of its household waste by 2020. The figure has long appeared unattainable.
Defra estimates published earlier this month said that England recycled 44.9 per cent of household waste in 2016. The rate rose by less than four percentage points between 2010 and 2016.
A Defra spokesman said: ‘It is encouraging to see the recycling rate rising, less waste being sent to landfill and separate food waste collections are increasing.
‘However, more needs to be done and we are looking at further ways to reduce avoidable waste and recycle more as part of our resources and waste strategy.’
Critics said yesterday that authorities in England have repeatedly mishandled their drive for recycling.
Kathy Gyngell, co-editor of the Conservative Woman website, said: ‘There are few local authorities in this country that could organise a drink-up in a pub. They got recycling badly wrong from the first and they have never recovered.’