More waste from Wigan households rejected from recycling centres

The Local Government Association said households and councils have worked hard to increase the amount of waste recycled, but are held back by manufacturers using unrecyclable packaging.

Waste can be turned away from recycling due to contamination by water, dirt or chemical treatments such as preservatives or paint.

Figures from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs show an estimated 3,252 tonnes of household waste were rejected after being placed in the wrong bin in the year to April 2022.

It is up from 2,510 tonnes the year before and from 2,085 tonnes in 2014-15 when local records began.

Across England, 6.4 per cent of rubbish sent to be recycled in 2021-22 was rejected.

Last year's rejects in Wigan accounted for 4.2 per cent of the 77,816 tonnes of waste sent for recycling.

An LGA spokesperson said households have made a "real shift" to ensure they are recycling as much as possible while councils work hard to share information on what can be recycled.

They said: “However, the manufacturers of plastic packaging products are still continuing to create and sell packaging that cannot be recycled and will be put in the recycling bin by people in good faith.

"The burden then falls on councils to not only collect it and dispose of it, but to pay the extra cost of disposing of it."

They added councils are trying to achieve net-zero with “one hand tied behind their back" as manufacturers produce plastic that cannot be disposed of sustainably.

The national increase in rejected material across England is also likely due to China's ban on solid waste imports and effects of the pandemic.

The figures show 44.1 per cent of waste in England was recycled in 2021-22 – up from 43.8 per cent the year before.

In Wigan, 74,564 tonnes of household waste were recycled – 53 per cent of all rubbish – down from 53.2 per cent in 2020-21.

A Defra spokesperson said: “There was an increase in rejected material reported by local authorities in the wake of the pandemic, but we have since set a suite of targets to reduce different types of waste, including plastic, glass, metal, paper and food by 2028 through our landmark Environmental Improvement Plan."