The council admits it is facing “challenges” with household recycling but hopes new food waste collections for this year will start a turnaround, reports Richard Cubitt

Barnet has dropped into the bottom ten London boroughs for recycling, the latest figures show.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently released its annual report into local authority waste collections, which shows that Barnet’s rate of household recycling in 2024/25 had fallen to 27.8%, down from 28.7% in 2023/24.

This gives Barnet the eighth-lowest rate of household recycling out of all London boroughs, and also significantly below the London average of 32.6%.

It also means the borough is nowhere near achieving the 50% household recycling rate target agreed by North London Waste Authority (NLWA), the public body responsible for waste disposal on behalf of seven North London councils.

Asked for a response to the latest figures, a Barnet Council spokesperson admitted the local authority has “faced some challenges” with recycling in recent years.

As well as Barnet, NLWA covers the boroughs of Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest, with the overall household recycling rate across these areas stagnating over the past few years.

But Barnet’s recycling rate is also lower than NLWA’s own average.

Last year, Labour council leader Barry Rawlings told councillors it was “important that officers consider all the options” to boost recycling rates.

But with the rate again now dropping further to 27.8%, it leaves Barnet a long way even from the borough’s own record high of 37.4% achieved in 2016/17.

A council spokesperson said: “As with many councils, Barnet Council has faced some challenges in increasing household recycling rates, particularly in locations where there are shared or communal waste and recycling arrangements. The council has been working to tackle this challenge, for example through trials of the best approaches to recycling and food waste collections at flats.

“On 30th March, the council launched a separate food waste recycling collection service, covering 4% increase in the recycling rate once the service has become established. The council will continue to look for ways to provide effective, efficient, and easy to use recycling services to support residents in maximising recycling and minimising waste.

“With the anticipated impact of our new food waste collection service, Barnet’s recycling rate will be in line with other boroughs in the North London Waste Authority area, and we are committed to working towards the target of achieving a 50% household recycling rate.”

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