Recently released government statistics show a drop in recycling rates in Peterborough.
According to government statistics released just before Christmas, recycling rates in Peterborough have fallen 2.4% since 2019, from 43.3% to 40.9%.
With less than half of all local residents recycling, Peterborough ranks 238th on the list, below our neighbors Cambridge City, Huntingdonshire and East Northamptonshire.
The national 12-month “household waste” recycling rate was 43.8% at the end of March 2021. This is a decrease of 1.7 percentage points compared to the previous identical period.
Green Party Representative Cllr Kirsty Knight said: “Reduced recycling rates may have been exacerbated by Covid and lockdowns.
“Measures like this have reduced people ordering a lot of things online, like takeout like pizza without their knowledge, things like pizza boxes cannot be recycled due to the grease on the box. “
This lack of public awareness has already been recognized by the council which has recognized the negative effects of not recycling properly.
In line with a wider national movement, the goal of achieving carbon neutrality became urgent in July 2019.
The council declared a climate emergency, affirming the need to act, while helping Peterborough to become a net zero carbon city by 2030.
To achieve this, organizations such as the Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) have invested in eco-education supporting environmental education in schools; encourage more than 40,000 students per year to think sustainably and collectively about reducing their impact on the environment by making them aware of recycling.
By not recycling properly, household waste can have disastrous consequences on the environment.
Most of this waste ends up in landfills, where it slowly decomposes, releasing methane which is bad for the environment and accelerates global warming.
This misuse has negative implications for council funds, as Cllr Knight explains: “It costs an average of £ 99 per tonne of normal waste to deal with, but that number is drastically reduced and costs just £ 11 to deal with one. ton of food ”.
“By using the right bin for the right material, like the green bin for recycling and the food bin for food waste, we will save money in the long run and have a more positive impact on our environment. “