There has been a 235 per cent increase in household recycling in England between 2000-01 and 2009-10 and a 365 per cent increase in green recycling alone.

Why is this important  – The EU Waste Framework Directive requires the UK to recycle, compost or reuse 50 per cent of waste from households by 2020.

• In 2009-10 England generated 23 million tonnes of household waste  9.4 million tonnes (39.7 per cent) of this was sent for recycling, composting or reuse.  This compares with 2000-01 when 25 million tonnes of household waste was generated and 2.9 million (11.2 per cent) was sent for recycling, composting or reuse.
• There has been a change in the composition of recycled waste over time. In 2000-01 paper and card was the largest component, making up 33 per cent of the total, followed by compost (28 per cent) and glass (14 per cent). In 2009-10 compost was the largest component (40 per cent of the total) with the next largest being co-mingled (20 per cent) followed by paper and card (14 per cent).
• Co-mingled waste is the collection of a number of recyclable materials in the same box or bin, for example paper, glass and plastics – have become more widespread in recent years.

Data download

 The key facts publication contains a downloadable version of this page
WasteDataFlow
Government policy on waste and recycling
Household waste statistics in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland