RUBBISH REPORT

The BBC’s news website has highlighted two London Borough’s which have the worst recycling rates, these being Tower Hamlets and Newham. Naturally, South Tyneside’s position was of interest, as were other local Councils, and a quick check of the stats revealed the following for 2005/2006, the most upto date figures I could find;

FIGURES OUT OF 393 AUTHORITIES

NORTHUMBERLAND – 125 –

DURHAM COUNTY – 188 -

HARTLEPOOL – 272 –

DURHAM CITY – 277 –

SOUTH TYNESIDE – 288 –

GATESHEAD – 312 –

SUNDERLAND – 337 –

NEWCASTLE – 342 –

DARLINGTON – 365 –

STOCKTON – 365 –

MIDDLESBROUGH – 390 –

Excluding Durham and Northumberland, northern Councils are pretty poor at getting rid of their rubbish. South Tyneside, whilst being in the middle of the table when compared to its neighbours, is actually near the bottom of the national averages. Certain issues have to be factored into these figures however; being urban areas, some of the authorities will have to deal with vast quantities of commercial and domestic rubbish, as opposed to a rural area with less dense population levels. There is also the issue of the rubbish itself. Unless the public adopts some degree of separation i.e. glass, paper etc, then it is difficult to process the material other than straight to land fill.

If this was a school report card the headmaster of South Tyneside would have finished with “must try harder, room for improvement”. Middlesbrough however, would have been expelled!