Recycling in Europe - How Did the UK Perform?

Eurostat – a component of the European Commission – has published data on the best and worst recycling nations in Europe.

The data relates to 2007, and covers all 27 states belonging to the EU. The UK’s rate for recycling/ composting MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) was 34 per cent – four per cent higher than both France and Spain, but five per cent below average.

The table is topped by Germany, which notched up 64 per cent, followed by Belgium (62 per cent) and Holland (60 per cent).

Municipal Solid Waste Production

Along with the statistics, information on the level of waste generation in each country concerned was also published, and this highlighted how the UK’s Municipal Solid Waste production – 572 kilograms of it for each person living here – was 50 kg higher than the EU average.

Here, the UK came in ninth, while, this time, it was the Czech Republic that fared best, with 294 kilograms per capita. On the positive side, however, the UK’s 572 kilograms did represent a decrease for the third year in a row, having stood at 605 kilograms five years ago.

In terms of MSW being relocated to landfill sites, meanwhile, the UK was found to be doing this on 57 per cent of occasions – 15 per cent more than across Europe as a whole. Bulgaria, however, had a 100 per cent waste-to-landfill rate – Romania, just one per cent less. On the flipside, the same was true for just one per cent of German waste.

In related news, more data on the UK’s environmental performance has also recently been released, this time by SMMT (the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders).

The SMMT data highlights how, overall, Britain’s pledge to hit the EU’s environmental targets in relation to car CO2 emissions is running to schedule.

2008, it said, witnessed a 4.2 reduction in carbon emissions – the most rapidly-paced drop yet recorded.

Average Car Emissions

The plummet took Britain’s average car emissions to 158 grams/ kilometre – 28 grams higher than the level required by the EU in six years time.

The data also showed a changing picture in terms of the types of vehicles UK consumers are now buying. 12 years ago, cars emitting in excess of 225 grams of CO2 per kilometre represented nearly 13 per cent of total UK sales.

In 2008, though, the equivalent sales figure was 6.2 per cent.