According to the organization Friends of the Earth, over 50,000 new jobs would be created if the UK was able to increase the amount of people who regularly recycled.
The environmental group published the report today asking that the government stop wasting valuable opportunities to boost economic and recycling at the same time by increasing their target rate of recycling.
The report claims that about 51,400 jobs would be available if 70% of household waste was recycled. In addition, if industrial and commercial recycling could be brought up to the same percentage another 18,000 jobs would be created.
At the moment the UK’s waste management program is able to offer 118,000 jobs with about 33.4m tonnes of waste recycled yearly on average. The report also points out the fact that recycling centres are able to create ten times more job possibilities than incinerators or landfills. Under the current EU requirements the UK only has to recycle 50% of its city waste by the year 2020, which would be a loss of 25,000 jobs if the rate was not raised.
Scotland and Wales both stated that they would increase their target up to the 70% rate although they are aiming for the year 2025. Despite this fact, England and Northern Ireland have not commented on their recycling aims outside of the fact that they acknowledge the 50% policy that needs to be met by the year 2020. There is a review over the waste policy being performed by the coalition government but the results will not be available until the beginning of 2011.