The UK is continuing to make progress in its efforts to boost recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill, according to new provisional figures released today by the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The statistical update reveals the amount of waste sent to landfill by local authorities fell 11 per cent last year to 10.1 million tonnes, presumably as a result of the economic slowdown and increased investment in recycling and waste-to-energy capacity.

The figures also show the household recycling rate inched up from 38.1 per cent in 2010 to 40.4 per cent last year, while the amount of waste being collected from households fell 0.9 per cent to 23.2 million tonnes. In addition, levels of household waste during the last quarter of the year were down 4.9 per cent on the same period in 2010, indicating that efforts to curb waste levels are gathering pace.

The report confirms similar trends for all local authority collected waste, including non-domestic waste streams, with figures showing the total level of waste collected fell 1.4 per cent last year to 25.8 million tonnes, the proportion of local authority collected waste being recycled, composted or reused increased from 40.4 per cent in financial year 2010/11 to 41.9 per cent in calendar year 2011.

“The proportion of local authority collected waste disposed of into landfill between January to December 2011 was 39 per cent, half of the 78 per cent disposed in 2001/02,” the report states. “In tonnage terms, more waste was recycled, composted or reused (10.8 million tonnes) than was landfilled (10.1million tonnes).”

A Defra spokesman said it was difficult to attribute the progress to any one measure, but suggested that both the continued increase in landfill tax and a growing commitment from local authorities to reduce the environmental impact of waste had helped to drive the reduction in waste being sent to landfill.