Published to mark the start of Recycle Week, which runs from today through to Sunday (12-18 September), the survey was carried out on behalf of Serco’s Environmental Services business by Future Thinking, polling a total of 12,166 people between 1-9 August.
And, 38% of those polled had cited confusing information about recycling on product packaging or from local authorities as the main barrier to maximising their recycling rates, the survey results suggest.
In response to the findings, Serco has called for collaboration on standardised recycling communications and action to improve the recycling labelling system for food and product packaging.
At present some products are labelled using the On-Pack Recycling Label system – developed by the British Retail Consortium – which denotes whether a product’s packaging is widely recycled, or advises consumers to check with local instructions. However, Serco has claimed that for some materials, such as plastic films, the messaging still creates confusion.
Age
The poll has also highlighted a potential disparity in recycling performance among different age groups. Results showed that 16-34 year-olds are the least likely to say they recycle all they can (57%) and more likely to be confused about what can be recycled.
The likelihood to recycle increases with age, with 82% of 55-74 year olds and 88% over 75s saying they recycle all they can, according to the poll.
Wales
Wales, which has been praised for its ‘cohesive’ recycling strategy, had the residents most likely to say they are already recycling all they can (75%) compared to those living in parts of England, such as the West Midlands (69%) and London (68%). People living in Northern Ireland (63%) were least likely to say they recycle all they can, the poll suggests.
Aside from confusion, other reasons people gave for not recycling more included the need for collections to be more frequent (8%); the need for some kind of financial reward (5%); the lack of recycling bags or bins (5%); that they didn’t believe it was being recycled (4%) and, that they simply could not be bothered (3%).
Serco
Serco’s Environmental Services business manages waste collections for over a million households on behalf of 16 local authorities across England.
The company estimates that confusion over what can be put in household recycling is costing local authorities up to £45m each year, based on the cost of disposal of contaminated waste and the lost income of what could have potentially been recycled.
In response to the findings, Serco Environmental Services’ team is urging the waste industry to work together with local authorities, retailers and consumer goods manufacturers to standardise recycling communications and develop a simpler recycling labelling system for food and product packaging which is easier for consumers of all ages to understand.
Robin Davies, Serco’s business development director for Environmental Services, told letsrecycle.com that a lot of confusion stems from a ‘disconnect’ between product packaging labels and what recycling is accepted by local authorities.
Mentioning the example of plastic film, which can technically be recycled but is often not accepted in household collections, Mr Davies said there is little point marking it with the recycle sign. Instead, he suggested, product packaging labels should be based on what is widely recycled in MRFs across the UK.
Serco has pointed to the partnership between the government and the food industry to improve food labelling and develop the universal traffic light system for food nutrition as an example of how simple, standardised information can support clearer communications to the public and help drive behaviour change.
‘Surprising’
Mr Davies added: “Councils and service providers put a lot of effort into communicating guidelines to local residents, but their job would be made easier if we all worked together to simplify and standardise recycling information.
“Today’s millennials have grown up in a world where recycling is common practice, with ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ taught in schools, so it’s surprising that younger people are most confused.
The poll suggests we look again at how we are communicating with this audience, especially when digital transformation is already high on the agenda of most local authorities.”
Claire Tyrrell-Williams, associate director at Future Thinking, added: “Clearly there’s a disconnect between how much we want to recycle and how much we do recycle.
“Changing people’s behaviour and attitudes when it comes to recycling should be a priority going forward. Providing people with the right tools and information, while making the most of the latest insights into human behaviour, is a crucial part of delivering a sustainable and environmentally-conscious future.”
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