The number of waste and recycling datasets published by the Conservative Government fell by more than 50% between 2010 and 2022, according to new research by the Copper Sustainability Partnership.
The research, released by the Copper Sustainability Partnership (CuSP), shows that the number of waste and recycling datasets fell at an average rate of 6% each year between 2010 and 2022.
The CuSP said it was created to promote the environmental benefits of copper and fight back against what it described as greenwashing around plastics.
In the first three years of Conservative leadership, an average of 30 waste and recycling datasets were published each year and by the end of 2022, there were only 12 datasets available, according to the research.
The former government has set a dangerous precedent by relaxing its vigilance in regard to environmental reporting.
The CuSP said the decline in waste and recycling reporting runs parallel to “slow progress” toward net zero targets across a range of industries.
Oliver Lawton, Co-founder of CuSP and Managing Director of Lawton Tubes, said: “The former government has set a dangerous precedent by relaxing its vigilance in regard to environmental reporting.
“Not only do these reports provide valuable insights that inform waste management policy, but they also hold businesses to account over poor waste treatment practices.
“The diversion of funding away from environmental research and protection means businesses from some of the highest-polluting sectors are now under less scrutiny, derailing the progress that has been made by others to decarbonise.”
