Household Waste Recycling has Doubled in Last Four Years, Says Defra

Household Waste Recycling has Doubled in Last Four Years, Says Defra

LONDON, September 14/PRNewswire/ --

- B-Roll Footage Available 1430-1445BST Tuesday, September 13

(refeed - see below for full details)

Recycling of household waste has doubled in the last four years,
according to new provisional figures published today (14 September 2005) by
Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

The figures show that English households recycled more than a
fifth of their waste, (approaching 23%) in 2004/05. They are the first signal
of recycling rates in 2004/05 which, though unaudited, provide a good
indication of the level being achieved.

Performance around the country varies with, on average, residents in the
North East recycling the least (16%) and people in East of England recycling
the most (29%). The greatest leap has been in the East Midlands, up 7% on
last year to 27%.

Local Environmental Quality Minister, Ben Bradshaw, said: "We've doubled
the amount we recycle in just four years. These figures prove how much more
people understand the importance of recycling compared to even just four
years ago."

According to WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme),
every household could recycle up to 60% of its waste.

This is reflected in some European recycling rates: Germany recycles 57%
of its waste; Netherlands recycles 64%; and Denmark 41%, a figure that some
English local authorities, like Lichfield, are already reaching.

Also today, Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign for England, has
announced today that it will receive a further GBP20 million funding from
Defra to build on the success of the campaign and encourage more people to
recycle more household waste more often.

Recycle Now, delivered by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme)
on behalf of the Government, was launched in September 2004 with funding of
GBP10 million until March 2006. The campaign was spearheaded by a series of
TV adverts featuring the voice of comedian Eddie Izzard.

Defra has provided a range of funding and support measures for local
authorities to boost recycling, and Defra and WRAP are continuing to work
with local authorities and retailers to pilot and roll out new ways - from
new technology at recycling 'bring' banks to financial incentives such as
discount vouchers - to get people recycling more.

PR Newswire is making video footage available to broadcasters, free of
charge, via a BT Tower local ends feed or on tape hard copy.

The footage, 13'36" in duration, shows the following:

KERBSIDE COLLECTION

1. Refuse collectors collecting recycling boxes, tipping refuse into
truck

RECYCLING CENTRES

Leyland, Lancashire

2. Woman loading recycling box into car, driving off

3. Woman arrives at recycling centre, puts bottles and cans into
respective containers

4. Wide of recycling centre

5. Residents putting waste in various containers - metal, cardboard,
newspapers, cans, bottles

RECYCLE NOW LAUNCH - LONDON, SEPTEMBER 2004

6. Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent posing for photographers

7. Pinsent gets into motorised can

8. Can driving across Covent Garden piazza

9. Matthew Pinsent talking about importance of recycling

30-SECOND CAN ADVERT

10. Recycle Now TV advert about recycling cans, featuring voice of Eddie
Izzard

ALUMINIUM RECYCLING (MUTE)

11. Sequence showing cans being recycled, and reclaimed aluminium being
made into new cans

10-SECOND PAPER ADVERT

12. Recycle Now TV ad about recycling newspapers

PAPER RECYCLING (MUTE)

13. Sequence showing newspapers being recycled, and reclaimed paper being
made into new newsprint

10-SECOND GLASS ADVERT

14. Recycle Now advert about recycling bottles

GLASS RECYCLING

15. Sequence showing bottles being recycled and turned into new bottles

30-SECOND COMPOST ADVERT

16.Recyle Now advert about garden compost

COMPOST BIN DISTRIBUTION

17. WRAP-sponsored compost bins being distributed at Ipswich, Suffolk,
July 2005

18. Members of public saying why they will be using a compost bin

GARDEN WASTE RECYCLING (MUTE)

19. Garden waste being turned into compost at Hollybush Garden Centre,
Walsall, Staffs - Britain's largest garden waste recycling site.

In order to receive the feed, please ask your MCR to book onto the
following local ends at the following times:

DATE: TUESDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2005
TIME: 1430-1445 BST (1330-1345 GMT)
TECH. ORIGIN: Cast/Inmedia, London, tel. +44-(0)20-7182-6307/8
LOCAL END: FL/Inmedia 11

Source: WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme)

For enquiries about the video footage, or for a hard copy on Beta SP, please contact: Dagmar Mackett, PR Newswire, Tel: +44-(0)20-7454-5371 or e-mail dagmar.mackett@prnewswire.co.uk.
For further information about WRAP and RecycleNow, please contact Recycle Now Press Office: Helen Wills, helen@ptarmiganpr.co.uk, or Denise Raven, Denise@ptarmiganpr.co.uk, Tel: +44-(0)113-242-1155

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