London is terrible at recycling. From 2015 to 2016, London's average household waste recycling rate was 32%. That compares rather miserably to the national average of 43%. Not only that, but things are getting worse, not better.
The worst four councils in the nation at recycling are all in London. Time to name and shame: Newham, Westminster, Lewisham and Barking & Dagenham. At the other end of the spectrum is Bexley, leaps and bounds ahead of its closest rivals Bromley. We're not sure how many borough related competitions Bexley wins, so we'll allow it time to gloat in this moment of victory.
Bexley, though, is part of a larger problem — sorry to rain on the parade — as even its strong figures are down on the year before; from 54% to 52% of waste being recycled. Overall, London's average household recycling rate went down for the third year in a row. The average now sits at 32% compared to 34% in 2012/13. This flies in the face — like a non-recycled plastic bag in the wind — of Sadiq Khan's campaign pledge to have London at 65% on average by 2030.
This data pre-dates Khan's time in office. He has appointed Shirley Rodrigues as deputy mayor for the environment, so it will be interesting to see how she tackles the problem.
Perhaps a small source of encouragement is that London is no longer alone in its downward spiral. While London's recycling rates have decreased over the past three years, the nation had been improving — up until now that is. Over a year, on average England sunk from 43.7% of household waste being recycled, to 43%.
A surprising element of this data is the lack of correlation between the levels of household recycling and non-household recycling. Ealing recycled 43% of its household waste, but a dismal 0.5% of non-household waste. What's more, Ealing produces the second highest volume of non-household waste in London. Ealing businesses sent 42,044 tonnes of rubbish straight to landfill in just one year.
This data does hide certain other facts with a slightly more positive outlook for London's waste future. Tower Hamlets seems to fare bleakly with just 26.7% of its household waste heading for reuse. However, it actually has the lowest rate of household waste generation per person (just 251.3 kg per head, over the course of a year). To help you visualise it, 250kg is roughly the weight of a female polar bear, so it's still a lot. Now visualise polar bears running amok in Tower Hamlets. What a pleasant diversion. Unlike the data below:
| Authority | Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting 2015/16 | Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting 2014/15 | Percentage of non-household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newham LB | 14.7% | 17.2% | 17.1% |
| Westminster City Council | 17.3% | 19.1% | 13.9% |
| Lewisham LB | 18.0% | 17.1% | 11.0% |
| Barking and Dagenham LB | 18.9% | 23.4% | 40.7% |
| Wandsworth LB | 21.1% | 20.7% | 10.2% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham LB | 22.0% | 20.7% | 2.0% |
| Camden LB | 24.8% | 26.3% | 19.8% |
| Hackney LB | 24.8% | 25.3% | 14.6% |
| Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | 25.9% | 25.3% | 11.1% |
| Tower Hamlets LB | 26.7% | 28.1% | 11.0% |
| Redbridge LB | 27.7% | 28.7% | 21.9% |
| Lambeth LB | 28.7% | 28.3% | 3.1% |
| Islington LB | 29.4% | 32.8% | 12.2% |
| City of London | 30.8% | 34.4% | 13.7% |
| Havering LB | 31.8% | 32.4% | 36.4% |
| Hounslow LB | 33.8% | 34.5% | 32.3% |
| Waltham Forest LB | 34.6% | 35.5% | 38.1% |
| Sutton LB | 34.7% | 37.6% | 36.3% |
| Greenwich LB | 34.8% | 34.3% | 48.6% |
| Merton LB | 34.8% | 37.5% | 34.6% |
| Southwark LB | 35.0% | 34.6% | 39.6% |
| Brent LB | 35.8% | 35.2% | 1.2% |
| Enfield LB | 35.9% | 38.5% | 1.3% |
| Haringey LB | 36.2% | 37.3% | 17.8% |
| Barnet LB | 36.8% | 38.0% | 23.9% |
| Croydon LB | 37.8% | 39.9% | 76.5% |
| Richmond upon Thames LB | 40.5% | 41.2% | 37.2% |
| Harrow LB | 40.9% | 45.1% | 1.2% |
| Ealing LB | 43.0% | 40.1% | 0.5% |
| Hillingdon LB | 44.1% | 43.8% | 10.2% |
| Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames | 45.8% | 45.7% | 79.5% |
| Bromley LB | 46.3% | 48.0% | 1.9% |
| Bexley LB | 52.0% | 54.0% | 29.9% |
