England's recycling rate for waste from households was 43.8% in 2024
Share of waste from households sent for recycling, composting or reuse, the waste sent for recycling by type, and waste from households per person, England, 2010 to 2024. Per cent, million tonnes and kilograms per person.
Latest figures
| Series | Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling rate | 2024 | 43.8% |
| Waste sent for recycling, by type: Dry materials | 2024 | 5.52Mt |
| Waste sent for recycling, by type: Garden and other organic waste | 2024 | 3.55Mt |
| Waste sent for recycling, by type: Food waste collected separately | 2024 | 0.54Mt |
| Waste from households per person | 2024 | 376 kg |
Notes
- Waste from households is the waste local authorities collect from homes, from household waste recycling centres and in bulky collections. It leaves out street sweepings, litter bins and waste from parks, which Defra's broader 'household waste' measure includes. It is the measure the UK uses to report recycling on the same basis in each of its four nations.
- The recycling rate is the waste sent for recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion or preparation for reuse, less what recycling facilities rejected, as a share of all waste from households.
- Dry materials are paper and card, glass, metals, plastics, textiles, electrical equipment, scrap metal and similar. Garden and other organic waste is green garden waste, mixed garden and food waste, wood for composting and other compostable waste.
- From 2015, metal recovered from the ash left after incineration counts as recycling, within dry materials. In 2024 it was 221 thousand tonnes, 1.0% of all waste from households.
- Figures are reported by local authorities to WasteDataFlow each quarter. Years are calendar years; Defra also publishes them for financial years.
Sources
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