St Albans and Milton Keynes: In top ten cities for recycling
A recycling not-for-profit has ranked 58 UK cities based on their attitudes to recycling
St Albans and Milton Keynes have both been named as one of the top ten best places in the country for recycling.
The not-for-profit Every Can Counts has created a ranking of the nation's top and bottom cities for recycling by collating local authority recycling rates, as well as self-reported attitudes and behaviours towards the act.
Where did St Albans and Milton Keynes rank?
Amazingly, the Herts and Bucks cities both managed to find themselves in the top ten, with St Albans cinching the 5th spot and Milton Keynes coming in 8th.
In St Albans over 64% of household waste is sent out for recycling or composting, according to DEFRA, and in Milton Keynes that number is over 53%.
When asked how often they recycle at home and on-the-go, people in St Albans responded 83% and 75%, respectively. While those in Milton Keynes said 86% and 71%.
Who took the top and bottom spot?
At the top of the ranking was Newport, with 67% of waste being recycled, but at the other end of the spectrum, it was found that just over 22% of waste in Birmingham is treated the same.
Two issues that prevent recycling
According to Chris Latham Warde, Programme Manager at Every Can Counts, "there's two key issues that prevent people from recycling.
"The first is that there aren't enough recycling bins in public places. The second is that people are unclear about what packaging items are and aren't recyclable."
To address this, Mr Latham Warde has said we need to place more recycling bins in public places and create a joined up approach to the practice across the country, so people know exactly what to do with their waste.
When asked whether people thought their local councils should be doing more to encourage recycling, 62% of people agreed.