Almost 10,000 tonnes of waste recycled in Burnley
Tens of thousands of tonnes of waste were collected in Burnley over the past year, with new figures showing no improvement in the borough’s recycling rate.
Data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reveals that 33,653 tonnes of waste were collected by Burnley Borough Council in the year to March 2024. This includes household waste, street bins, sweepings, and rubbish from council parks and grounds.
Of the 30,535 tonnes of waste collected directly from homes, 9,662 tonnes were sent for recycling, composting or reuse – giving Burnley a household recycling rate of 32%. That’s unchanged from the year before.
In total, each Burnley household generated an average of 486.7kg of waste, up from 476.8kg the previous year. The data also shows that 216 tonnes of materials sent for recycling locally were ultimately rejected.
Across England, the recycling rate for waste from households was 44% in 2023, up from 43% in 2022.
With new national recycling rules set to come into force next year, councils have warned that more time and funding will be needed to implement the changes. Among the biggest shifts will be the requirement for households to separate paper and card from other recycling.
Coun. Adam Hug, environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: "Public satisfaction with local waste services remains very high, which councils have worked hard to achieve. What works in urban centres is different to rural communities.
"However, the separate collection of paper and card will require additional resources and time for implementation from April 2026. It’s also very important different councils have local flexibility where the additional bin is not practical, for instance due to inadequate space."