AN MP has warned the Government it must take action to ensure it meets the EU target of recycling 50 per cent of household waste by 2020.

Chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, Thirsk and Malton MP Anne McIntosh, said the Government needed to give greater encouragement to authorities such as Stockton and Middlesbrough, where less than 30 per cent of household waste was recycled in 2012/13.

She said she was staggered that such urban areas were struggling to reach the recycling target while it had been achieved in rural areas such as Ryedale, in North Yorkshire, where the cost of waste collection is significantly higher.

Her comments follow a report by the select committee, which states that despite being charged with developing a zero waste economy, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has “stepped back” from waste management.

Miss McIntosh said: "We need both a more ambitious approach to waste management and stronger government leadership to drive up static recycling rates in England and make better use of energy recovery options, such as local heating for homes.”

The report also called on the Government to prevent too much food waste being sent to energy-from-waste plants, such as the £1.4bn scheme at Allerton Park, North Yorkshire.

Miss McIntosh said: “The Government must find practical ways to divert more food waste out of the residual stream, but in ways that suit local circumstances.”

A Defra spokesperson said: “We all have a responsibility to use our resources more carefully and reduce waste.

"The Government continues to support this by providing a robust legal framework to help enforcement agencies and industry take action.”