The UK had the fastest improvement in recycling rates in the EU between 2001 and 2010, according to a new report that warns many member states will find it extremely difficult to meet EU-mandated targets to recycle 50 per cent of household and similar waste by 2020.
According to analysis published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the UK increased the share of municipal waste recycling from 12 to 39 per cent in the nine years through to 2010, the biggest increase of any country.
The report predicts the UK will now achieve the 50 per cent target if it maintains its annual growth rate for recycling that it recorded over the past decade.
However, the EEA warns that the UK could fail to meet the separate 2020 Landfill Directive target because there may not be enough time to build the necessary recycling and recovery facilities for organic wastes.
Click here to read the full story.
