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Building confidence in recycling

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn visited Peterborough today to talk about recycling and waste.

Big questions about recycling are back on the agenda, particularly during the recession. Is recycling worth it? Is what you put out for recycling actually being recycled? What happens to your recycling after it leaves your front door? Why is it so important to get recycling right?

Mr Benn visited Peterborough to see first-hand what happens to recycling in the city, and to discuss related issues. He joined a tour of a materials recycling facility, which sorts all of Peterborough’s recycling – from its arrival in recycling trucks, through to the complex sorting process, and the final stage when materials are ready to be made into other things. 

Mr Benn said: "Cities like Peterborough are a great example of what can be achieved by working together to really cut waste and boost recycling. Seeing how much recycling places like the materials recycling facility I visited are dealing with every single day really brings home how much we can save from landfill, and it's great to see such progress being made."

Mr Benn also met people involved in Peterborough’s Zero Waste Places project. Peterborough city centre is one of the country’s six initial Zero Waste Places, which aim to send zero waste to landfill and exemplify good environmental practice. Funding was recently announced for the creation of up to eight new Zero Waste Places.

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Page last modified: 10 September 2009
Page published: 10 September 2009