30 December 2008

Dear Colm Howard-Lloyd

Re: Your request for information: 3284

Thank you for your request for information that was received on 7 November 2008 in which you requested:

The information that you requested is enclosed.

1) Please confirm what proportion of recycling collected from street recycling sites is processed and recycled and what proportion (if any) is a) incinerated or b) taken to landfill

We don't have precise data to answer this enquiry. The Council tries to minimise contamination at street recycling sites through the use of appropriately designed containers and signage, and through keeping container lids locked. Before emptying a container, the collection staff will visually inspect the contents of the container for contamination. Any light contamination will be removed and disposed of. If a container is heavily contaminated, it will not be collected as recycling but will instead be collected as refuse.

When the material is tipped at our transfer station, any further contamination is removed.

We do not weigh the quantity of material presented at recycling sites that is rejected, but our belief is that the quantities are low, probably no more than 2%.

Following the two inspections of material quality and removal of contaminants, all material collected at street recycling sites that is sent for recycling is then recycled.

2) Please confirm what proportion of recycling collected from kerbside is processed and recycled and what proportion (if any) is a)

incinerated or b) taken to landfill

Material collected at the kerbside is presented separated and in open containers. The material is physically inspected for contamination, and any materials not suitable for recycling are separated and disposed of, usually in the householder's wheeled bin. Leaflets are left for householders explaining why unsuitable material was not collected.

We do not record the weight of material that is rejected at the point of collection. The material that is sent for recycling from our depot following inspection is of high quality and is all recycled.

In addition to the kerbside collection of separated material, the Council also provides a doorstep collection of mixed recycling for people living in flats. Bags of mixed recycling are sent to a Material Reclamation Facility for sorting. Materials not suitable for recycling are removed at the MRF, and account for around 8% by weight of the material collected.

We believe rejection rates are higher for people who present mixed recycling from flats than for those presenting separated material at kerbside, due to the lack of individual feedback to householders presenting unsuitable material through the mixed collection scheme.

3) Please also confirm where London Borough of Southwark recycling is processed. Detailing (if applicable) the different sites for: glass, paper, cans, plastic etc.

Recyclable materials are sent from our depot or from the MRF to different processors, depending on market conditions. Destinations can change on a daily basis. Our recycling is mixed with that produced from other boroughs, making it impossible to say exactly where Southwark's waste has been sent. Generally however,

i)                  glass is reprocessed in the UK,

ii)                 card and cardboard is reprocessed in the UK

iii)               most paper is reprocessed in the UK, a minority of paper is exported to other EU member states (commonly Belgium and France), a small fraction is exported to China and the Far East.

iv)               Cans are reprocessed in the UK,

v)                 plastics are reprocessed in the UK and other member states such as Spain and Italy.

You are free to use the information provided for your own purposes, including any non-commercial research you are doing and for the purposes of news reporting. Any other re-use, for example commercial publication, requires the permission of the copyright holder. You may apply for permission to re-use this information by submitting a request to [Southwark Borough Council request email]; you can find details on these arrangements at http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCouncil/Copyright. Detailed advice about the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations (PSI) 2005 is available from the Office of Public Sector Information at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/index.htm.

If you have any queries or concerns then please contact us using the above details.

Further information on the Freedom of Information Act is available through the Information Commissioner at the:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire. SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
Internet: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Marie McDonald

Legal & Democratic Services, Floor 3 ,Town Hall, Peckham Road, London SE5 8UB

Switchboard - 020 7525 5000 Website - www.southwark.gov.uk

Chief Executive - Annie Shepperd