Boris Johnson told a group of eight to 12-year-olds that recycling ‘doesn’t work’, and that has angered some, including The Recycling Association and even members of his own Government. His comments have been described as "strangely timed" and in conflict with Government messaging. The CEO of the Local Authority Recycling Association Committee said that the work of local authority communications officers has been put back five years.

His comments, however, did receive support from anti-plastic campaigners, who highlight the poor rate of recycling in the UK - less than 10%, according to some sources - and how recycling justifies the overproduction of plastic.

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