UK household recycling rate increases to 44.6 per cent in 2023

The proportion of waste recycled by UK households increased to 44.6 per cent in 2023, according to figures published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

This represents a 0.5 per cent increase compared with 2022, when the rate of household recycling declined to 44.1 per cent, predominantly caused by a downturn in England’s capture rate.

Defra reports that in 2023 the rate rose again in all nations, with Wales achieving the highest household recycling rate at 57 per cent. England’s rate remains the lowest at 44 per cent.

Provisional data from local authorities from earlier this year show vast disparities in recycling rates across England. South Oxfordshire District Council remains the top performer at 62.9 per cent, compared with Tower Hamlets London Borough recording the lowest rate of 15.8 per cent.

The UK reached its highest recycling rate in 2019 at 46.0 per cent, falling to 44.5 per cent during 2020. Despite improvements, the current figure remains 1.4 per cent below the pre-COVID peak.

Biodegradable municipal waste in landfill at a low

In 2023, the UK sent one million tonnes less biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) to landfill than in the previous year, decreasing to 5.3 million tonnes.

Wales is making the most progress with a 21.7 per cent decrease in BMW to landfill from 2022 to 2023, with Scotland following close behind with a 20.7 per cent decrease. England, generating 82.8 per cent of the UK’s biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, saw a 14.5 per cent decrease. Finally, Northern Ireland, producing only 3.5 per cent of the UK’s BMW to landfill, saw a decrease of 8.8 per cent.

The UK has achieved an 85 per cent reduction of BMW to landfill since 1995 levels, before the introduction of the Landfill Tax. However, the remaining residual waste poses a risk to the UK net-zero goals, with landfill gas accounting for approximately 72 per cent of the UK's waste sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2023, Defra held a Call to Evidence to support the near elimination of landfill from 2028, to collect data from stakeholders across the waste management industry to inform future policies tackling this issue.

Two-thirds of all packaging is recycled

Defra released provisional figures for 2024 estimating that between 64.1 per cent and 75.2 per cent of all packaging in the UK was recycled. The lower end of this estimate falls short of the 2023 figure which stood at 64.8 per cent and signalling a loss of momentum from the 2.4 per cent increase between 2022 and 2023. Despite this, packaging recycling rates still significantly outperform overall recycling rates by nearly 20 per cent.

In 2024, the most recycled materials were steel, paper and cardboard and glass. The least recycled packaging was wood and plastic.

Aside from household waste, Defra published insights relating to different sectors. Data specific to England shows that, in 2022, 59.4 million tonnes of non hazardous construction and demolition waste was recycled from total waste arisings of 63.0 million. This 94 per cent recovery rate in C&D waste maintains the 93 per cent rate recorded in 2020. In 2023, England’s generation of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste decreased to 32.6 million tonnes, down from 33.7 million tonnes in 2020.