News

More than 75% of councils across England and Wales have admitted to sending at least some of their recyclable waste to landfill or incinerators, a survey by The Daily Telegraph has revealed.

According to newspaper, respondents to the survey admitted to dumping 100,503 tonnes of recyclable waste in landfill or sending it to incinerators in the 2007/2008 financial year.

Medway and Peterborough councils were highlighted as the "worst offenders" for sending a reported 11% of their total recyclable waste to landfill or incinerators.

"Many councils are left with large amounts of waste that they are unable to sell or recycle," wrote Simon Neville and Christopher Hope.

The fact that some councils send their waste to China for recycling was also highlighted as a questionable practice in terms of the carbon footprint.

The Daily Mail meanwhile criticised online shopping companies for using too much packaging to ship Christmas presents. It said: "Much of this packaging will end up in landfill at a time when families are being told to cut back on waste and recycle."

To read the full Daily Telegraph article click here.

The Daily Mail story is available here.

To hear Peterborough Council's response click here.