Big cut in rubbish as recession hits home

Figures compiled by East Riding Council show 8,000 fewer tonnes of household waste were produced in the area between 2008 and 2009, and 1,900 fewer tonnes between April and December last year.

A report to the council's Environment and Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee next week said: "..the global economic crisis which led to the subsequent recession has impacted upon the level of consumer spend, the purchase of new and replacement goods, the level of housebuilding nationally and in the East Riding.

"All these matters have contributed to an overall reduction in the amount of waste produced in the East Riding and elsewhere."

The authority aims to recycle at least 45 per cent of household waste by the end of this year, a target it shares with Hull Council through a joint waste management strategy.

Recycling and composting rates in the East Riding were just below the national average last year, at 33.7 per cent, compared to 34.3 per cent in the rest of the country.

This also placed the East Riding in mid-table when compared to other councils in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The best performing authority was North Lincolnshire – at nearly 49 per cent – while the lowest rate was in Calderdale, at 25.84 per cent.

Hull was the second-worst performing council in the region, with a recycling and composting rate of 25.93 per cent.

The East Riding is currently trialling a food waste recycling scheme at 5,500 households in Brough, Elloughton and Welton. If it is successful and expanded this could lead to a 50 per cent composting rate, the report said.