RECYCLING MATTERS – LABOUR ARE FAILING EXETER
“It is more than frustration, it is anger that Exeter remains at the bottom of Devon’s recycling league table,” says Cllr Anne Jobson responding to the Editorial in the Express and Echo (29th July 2021), “
“Whilst other Local Authorities in Devon have increased their recycling rates - Exeter’s have got worse. The blame for this lies squarely with the Labour ruling administration. Labour have done nothing and will do as little as possible until forced to improve recycling as a result of the Conservative Government’s Environment Bill..”
CONSERVATIVE GROUP Exeter City Council
“Cllr Bialyk is wrong to blame delays to the Environment Bill for Exeter’s lack of a plan and timetable. Other local Authorities have got on with it – Exeter has not. Put simply - the Labour Ruling Group on Exeter City Council are failing the people of Exeter. Exeter residents have made it clear time and time again that they want to recycle - the Council should be helping them to do so.”
“Cllr Harvey is already planning his excuses when he is reported as saying that larger authorities will be further up the line when it comes to receiving new refuse collection vehicles.”
“If Exeter had got on with it when they made their promise in 2019 then those vehicles could be in place and helping Exeter deliver on its recycling.”
“In 1995 Exeter was the highest performing Devon Authority with 8.2% and achieved its highest collection rate in 2010 with 36.9%. Since then whilst other authorities have introduced food-waste and rolled out new services Exeter has been left lagging behind and getting worse year on year. Between 2015 and 2020 no other Devon Local Authority has fallen below 40% whilst Exeter has fallen below 30%.”
Cllr Anne Jobson OBE
The figures
These are taken from the annual reports of the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee – generally published in the October of Each Year – Devon County Council.
In 2015/16 Devon recycled 55.1% of its waste.
In 2016/17 Devon recycled 55.7% of its waste.
In 2017/18 that dropped to 54%, rising to 56% in 2018/19
In 2019/20 Devon recycled 56.6% of its waste.
For the same period
Exeter recycled 33.4% in 2015/16;
Exeter recycled 31.6% in 2016/17
Exeter’s recycling rate had dropped to 30.8 in 2017/18
Exeter recycling rate dropped again to 27.1% in 2018/19
Exeter recycling rate dropped yet again to 26.1% in 2019/20.
The highest rated authorities in Devon during this period had recycling rates in excess of 50% with our closest neighbour, East Devon, achieving 60.5% in 2019/20.
No other Council in Devon had a rate below 40% during the same period.
As far back as 2018/19 a 53% increase was achieved in Devon for kerbside food waste collection and all other Local Authorities in Devon save for Exeter had a food waste collection.
