Leaflet printers to improve recycling practices?

Leaflet printing firms may wish to improve their recycling practices, after it was suggested consumers are more concerned about waste.

Leaflet printers could benefit from improving their recycling facilities, after one expert suggested customers are becoming increasingly concerned about waste.

Dan Welch, co-editor of Ethical Consumer magazine, said people are far more aware now that "much of what we call waste is in fact precious resources".

He stated recently-released figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) - which showed the proportion of household rubbish sent for recycling, composting or reuse increased from 37.6 per cent in 2008-09 to 39.7 per cent in 2009-10 - represent a step in the right direction.

This rise has partly been caused by improved access to recycling, Mr Welch explained, with more white goods companies being proactive at taking away old appliances, for instance.

It is also due to changing habits, as composting and home-grown fruit and vegetables are becoming more popular, he added.

In addition, the Defra research revealed household waste generation has been decreasing each year since 2006-07, which could inspire leaflet printing companies to increase the proportion of rubbish they recycle.