Council signs Recycling Charter

Shropshire Council has formally signed up to the national End Destinations of Recycling Charter.

The Charter (www.resourceassociation.com/destinationsreport) is a voluntary commitment to transparency though the publication of details of where the council’s recycling gets sent for reprocessing.  It has been developed by the Resource Association with support from the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee. 

By signing the Charter the council is commiting to publish annually on its website (shropshire.gov.uk/whathappensnext) the full details of where the recycling collected gets sent.

It was developed in part in response to YouGov polls which revealed that a staggering 73% of UK residents did not know what happens to their recycling.  It aims to increase public awareness about recycling in general.

Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibiity for waste management, said:

“We are delighted to commit to publishing the destinations of our recycled materials.  In fact this is something we have already been doing for a number of years.  It fits in with our transparency agenda, and it’s a good news story which demonstrates how the efforts of Shropshire residents is creating valuable resources for UK manufacturing industries, supporting jobs and reducing primary resource consumption and thus carbon emissions.

“I hope it will encourage people to be more aware of waste and to recycle more.”

Ray Georgeson, Resource Association Chief Executive, said:

“We are delighted that Shropshire Council has signed the Charter and warmly welcome them to the growing list of councils embracing this initiative.  Clear information on what happens to recycling and where it goes can only improve public confidence and encourage residents to recycle more.“