With England’s recycling rates hitting a plateau in recent years, the annual tonnages reported by district councils provide a crucial insight into national waste management trends. In the latest local authority waste statistics from Defra, despite standout results from certain districts, the average recycling rate for 2024-25 is 43.8% – a drop from 44% in the previous period.
The key takeaways:
- Some councils are soaring ahead, while others lag behind
- There’s been an overall decline in recycling commitment
- More waste was sent for incineration since the last reporting period
- Food waste collections are on the rise
- Dry recycling rates have grown
Who are the Leading Recyclers?
Top of the league for England is Stratford-on-Avon District Council, which recorded a 63.9% household waste recycling rate, with 64% of this tonnage counting as organic waste – the highest proportion from any authority in 2024-25.
Stratford-on-Avon council attributes its success to the commitment of its residents and the efficiency of its waste collection services.
Meanwhile, Adam Read, Chief Sustainability and External Affairs Officer for SUEZ, noted that the recently introduced Simpler Recycling framework would no doubt have a positive impact on rates in the coming years: “Introducing separate food waste collections for all households has the potential to alter the trajectory of our household recycling performance and at the same time help to provide a source of renewable energy to heat and power our homes.”
Elsewhere, Milton Keynes Council secured second place with 63.2% – 51.6% of which was derived from organic waste.
The previous year’s leader, South Oxfordshire District Council, placed third with a rate of 61.3%, with organics comprising 60.3%.
Discouragingly, only six authorities reached recycling rates above 60% for 2024-25 – a decrease from the ten who achieved this the year before.
The top three:
- Stratford-on-Avon – 63.9% household waste, of which 64% organic waste
- Milton Keynes – 63.2% household waste, of which 51.6% organic waste
- South Oxfordshire – 61.3% household waste, of which 60.3% organic waste
Who are the Lowest Performers?
Councils populating the bottom of the league table include London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which reported the lowest household waste recycling rate at 17.0%, as well as the lowest percentage of organic waste at 8.4%.
The second-lowest performing region was Liverpool City Council, which logged a recycling rate of 17.9% and organic waste percentage of 31.0%, closely followed by Birmingham City Council, with rates of 20.3% household waste and 34.3% organic.
The bottom three:
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets – 17.0% household, of which 8.4% organic
- Liverpool City – 17.9% household, of which 31.0% organic
- Birmingham City – 20.3% household, of which 34.3% organic
Further Waste & Recycling Trends
Increased incineration
Beyond the reported household rates, waste and recycling trends throughout England appear to be diverging. While total local authority managed waste has risen by 0.4% to 25.2 million tonnes, the proportion of that waste sent now for incineration has increased to 12.7 million tonnes, equating to over half of all local authority managed waste.
Meanwhile, recycling tonnage has stalled at 10.4 million tonnes, and food waste collections sit at approximately 0.5 million tonnes.
Food waste collections rising
On a more positive note, food waste collections continue to demonstrate steady growth, increasing by 6.7% between 2023 and 2024. Moreover, this increase continued throughout 2024, with uptake rising incrementally each quarter. This reflects a higher engagement among participants, which is hoped can be capitalised on as more councils facilitate food waste collections across the country under Simpler Recycling.
Dry recycling materials
Lastly, dry recycling – which includes incinerator bottom ash (IBA) metals – also increased slightly over 2024, reaching a total of 5.5 million tonnes. This equated to 25.2% of total household waste and 57.5% of household recycling.
Among the dry materials recycled, plastics grew by 2.9% at 15,000 tonnes, paper and card by 1.0% at 19,000 tonnes, and metals by 1.7% at 4,000 tonnes. Textiles, IBA metals, WEEE and other scrap metals also demonstrated significant rises.
However, glass was the only material in its category to show a decline in 2024, dropping by 48,000 tonnes (3.9%).
Thankfully, with Simpler Recycling now gaining momentum, these rates are likely to improve in coming years, as councils integrate food waste collection into their services, and – perhaps more importantly – into people’s daily habits.
But until then, standout regions such as Stratford-on-Avon and South Oxfordshire must continue to lead the way.
