UK recycling rate rises to 44.6% as waste to landfill falls
The UK’s provisional recycling rate for waste from households (WfH), including Incinerator Bottom Ash metal (IBAm), reached 44.6% in 2023, up from 44.1% in 2022, according to new government statistics.
Recycling rates increased across all UK nations in 2023. England recorded a provisional rate of 44.0%, while Wales remained the highest-performing nation at 57.0%. Northern Ireland achieved 50.2%, and Scotland 42.1%.
The amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill across the UK fell from 6.3 million tonnes in 2022 to 5.3 million tonnes in 2023, continuing a downward trend in landfill reliance.
Provisional figures for 2024 indicate that between 64.1% and 75.2% of UK packaging waste was recycled.
Data on commercial and industrial (C&I) waste shows that the UK generated an estimated 40.4 million tonnes in 2020, with England accounting for 33.7 million tonnes (83%). For 2023, England’s C&I waste generation is estimated at around 32.6 million tonnes.
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste continues to form a significant share of the UK’s waste stream. In 2020, an estimated 59.4 million tonnes of non-hazardous C&D waste was generated, with 55.0 million tonnes recovered. England generated 53.9 million tonnes of this total, recovering 50.3 million tonnes. By 2022, England’s non-hazardous C&D waste rose to 63.0 million tonnes, with 59.4 million tonnes recovered.
Overall, the UK generated 191.2 million tonnes of total waste in 2020, with England responsible for 85% of this figure (162.8 million tonnes).
