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UK achieves the highest recycling growth rate in Europe

UK achieves the highest recycling growth rate in Europe

Back in 2001, just 12% of the UK's waste was being recycled. But we are improving fast: a report by the European Environment Agency shows recycling in the UK has gone up by 26.5%, the highest percentage rise in Europe. We now recycle 39% of our waste, and we need to keep improving our recycling at this rate to catch up with Germany, Austria and Belgium, which already recycle more than 50% of their waste. Outside the EU, even the USA recycles 49% of its waste representing achievement on a massive scale.

Much of our improved performance is credited to Local Authorities introducing recycling schemes which encourage people to sort their rubbish from recyclables. Different authorities may have 2-way, 3-way or even 4-way recycling for glass, certain plastics, paper and food scraps. 60-70% of your waste should be recyclable. 

So if your Local Authority has introduced a recycling scheme, sorting your waste is definitely worth doing and you don’t have to ruin the look of your kitchen with teetering piles of packaging, or keep going outside to your wheelie bins. Create your own recycling system using one of our compartment bins, or a combination of bins if you need to recycle more.  (click here to view our range of recycling bins) 

The bins fit a lot of recycling into one neat-looking space and it soon becomes part of your routine. You could even say that recycling is now a style statement, with the release of this beautiful print by pop artist Peter Blake. Available from the Tate Gallery shop, it’s printed on tin and we want one on our kitchen wall above our two recycling bins.