Response
Thank you for your request of 19 June 2019 regarding the above.
1. Your request was for the following information:
1.1 Clarification on the North London Waste Authority’s (NLWA) recycling policy and process;
1.2 To provide assurances that everything possible is being done to ensure that recycling is done in the UK and is not being sent to developing countries for processing.
2. NLWA Response
2.1 This request is being handled under the Environmental Information Regulations (EiR) 2004 and has been allocated the reference number 2019-24 and we respond as follows:
2.2 NLWA is responsible for arranging the sorting and recycling of the mixed dry recyclables collected from residents and a small number of businesses in six north London Boroughs, namely Barnet, Camden, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.
2.3 In order to perform our duty, NLWA contracts with two London-based Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) providers, namely Biffa Waste Services Ltd in Edmonton and Bywaters (Leyton) Ltd in Bow.
2.4 The mixed dry recyclables are delivered to the two MRFs, at which they are sorted into their constituent materials, such as cardboard, paper, steel and aluminum cans, glass bottles and various grades of plastics.
2.5 The MRF providers then sell the segregated materials to licensed recycling facilities for reprocessing into new products.
2.6 The MRF providers aim to maximise the quantity of recyclables which are reprocessed within the UK; however this can be challenging for certain material streams, due to the limited number of recycling facilities located in the UK.
2.7 In the event that no UK outlet can be found for a material stream, the MRF provider may export this to licensed facilities outside of the UK, either directly or via third party materials brokers.
2.8 In relation to the BBC’s ‘War on Plastics’ programme, NLWA is able to confirm that during the 2018/19 financial year, 91% of plastics were reprocessing within the UK. Of the remaining plastics, 8% was reprocessed in Europe and 1% in Asia. All facilities used are licensed to recycle the plastics sent to them into new products.
