A recycling plant… but polling reveals many people are tiring of sorting their waste (Image: Getty)
Britons appear to have fallen out of love with recycling due to lack of trust, mixed messages and confusion, according to an alarming new survey. Almost a third of people (30%) said they only occasionally recycled, while one in five (21%) admitted they had given up sorting their rubbish into the right bins because they didn’t believe it actually got recycled. and 19% claimed the rules in general were too confusing. A whopping 61% of those questioned confessed they were guilty of secretly throwing recyclable materials into the general waste.
The survey, conducted by Censuswide among 2001 Britons in January for waste management experts Biffa, also revealed that the biggest recycling moan was washing out yogurt pots – with a quarter of respondents describing it as their pet hate. Some 16% of those questioned admitted to not even knowing when bin day was, while a quarter described themselves as the biggest recycling rebel in their household.
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Recycling plant workers (Image: Biffa / Love Recycling)
However, the research, commissioned for Valentine’s Day as part of a Love Recycling campaign featuring Biffa, John Lewis and British homeware brand ReBorn – which uses recycled materials in its products – revealed there is still hope. More than a third (35%) of people said they would be more inspired to recycle if there were rewards and just under a third (29%) said they would do more if there was more clarity around exactly what could be recycled.
To mark the launch of Love Recycling – and ahead of the Simpler Recycling legislation for households coming into force this April, which will mean all households must have a weekly food waste collection – ReBorn is launching a limited edition food waste bin designed to make food waste recycling simple, stylish and satisfying.
The red Biffa-branded caddy will be sold in John Lewis stores and online to encourage households to recycle their food waste. From peelings to plate scrapings, the bin is designed to help households get ready for the moment when every home in England will have to recycle food waste at the kerbside.
From April, all councils in England will be legally required under the Environment Act 2021 to provide weekly food waste collections. Many already do, but the legislation will bring those that don’t into line. This is part of the government’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ reforms, which aim to create a more consistent approach to waste and recycling across the country.
According to campaign group WRAP, the average UK household throws away food worth around £250 per person every year, totalling more than £17billion annually. When recycled instead of sent to landfill, food waste produces renewable energy, biofertiliser for British farms and lower carbon emissions – cutting methane gas.
WRAP estimates household food waste makes up around 60% of the UK’s total food waste – making homes the biggest single place consumers can make a difference.
It’s hoped the Biffa food waste caddy with help encourage more people to start recycling (Image: Biffa / Love Recycling)
Online influencer Therese Ryan, who is backing the Love Recycling campaign, said: “I totally understand why many people find recycling confusing – there’s so much to remember and we’ve all been a bit of a recycling rebel, putting things in the general waste bin when we’re busy. But I’m taking up the challenge to change and encourage everyone to give it a go, the gorgeous red Biffa food caddy has given me the motivation to be more mindful when recycling and I’ll be getting [husband] Darren to join in.”
“Recycling should be a love story, not a source of stress,” added Steve Cole, Managing Director Biffa Municipal. “We’re hoping Love Recycling helps people fall back in love with doing the right thing – especially as everyone will be able to recycle their food waste for it to be collected from kerbside by their local council this April.
“It’s been brilliant working with John Lewis and ReBorn to turn a serious subject into something fun, eye‑catching and genuinely useful.”
Brian Walmsley, CEO & Founder of ReBorn, said: “This partnership with Biffa and John Lewis shows what a circular economy can look like in practice -– waste collected in the UK, recycled in the UK, and turned into products designed and made here. Our goal at ReBorn is to make sustainable choices simple, useful and stylish in everyday life, and food waste is one of the most powerful places households can make a real difference.”