According to research by GMB, five councils out of a total of 21 are currently meeting household waste targets set out by the EU.
These rules dictate that at least 50 per cent of waste produced by households must be recycled by 2020.
Out of the 21 councils, Calderdale MBC, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Barnsley BMC, Bradford City MBC, and North Lincolnshire Council, are currently meeting or exceeding the targets.
Out of a total 2,265,445 tonnes of household waste, some 988,273 tonnes were sent for recycling, composting, or reuse in the Yorkshire region, equating to 43 per cent.
GMB General Secretary-elect, quoted by the Wakefield Express, said: “It is a great credit to all those working in waste collection and recycling that such great strides have been made over the last decade to recycle more at the same time as increasing efficiency.”
National waste targets
On a national level, it was reported by the Department for Environmental & Rural Affairs (DERA) that household recycling in 2014 had reached 44.9 per cent in 2014, rising from 40.4 per cent in 2010.
Broken down, Scotland was found to recycle 41 per cent of household waste, Northern Ireland was found to recycle 43.6 per cent, England at 44.8 per cent, and Wales was found to recycle the most, at a rate of 54.8 per cent of all household waste produced.
England produced the most household waste in the UK, generating a total of 22.4 million tonnes out of a total of 26.8 million tonnes overall.
Total waste increased by 2.32 per cent in 2014 compared to 2013.
