Research ranks Harlow for recycling rejection rates in east of England
News / Mon 28th Jul 2025 at 08:54am
NEW research has revealed that Harlow ranks 18th for recycling rejection rates in the East of England.
Essex waste management experts at BusinessWaste.co.uk have analysed data to uncover the regions where the most and least recycling is actually recycled.
Data from DEFRA and DAERA was used to calculate the recycling rejection rates for local authorities across England and Northern Ireland.
Ipswich Borough Council tops the list in the East of England as the region with the most rejected recycling at 13.34%. This means out of all recycling collected, over a tenth never actually goes on to be recycled. Residents in the area sent 15,678 tonnes of waste for recycling, of which 2,092 tonnes were rejected. This waste will likely either be sent to Energy-from-Waste (EfW) plants or, worst case scenario, go to landfill. The council also sits at 50th on the overall England and Northern Ireland rankings for recycling rejection rates.
In second place is Great Yarmouth Borough Council, where 13.05% of all recycling is rejected. Local residents sent 11,397 tonnes of waste for recycling, and 1,487 tonnes were rejected. The council ranks 53rd across the whole of England and Northern Ireland.
Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Council takes third place where of the 27,088 tonnes of waste sent for recycling, 3,398 was rejected, equal to 12.54%.
At the other end of the scale, Tendring District Council has the lowest recycling rejection rate in the region at just 0.01%, this is also the lowest in all of England and Northern Ireland. They’re followed by St Albans City and District Council at 0.47% and Maldon District Council has the third lowest at 0.50%.
Graham Matthews, Essex waste management expert at BusinessWaste.co.uk, comments: “There is a certain onus on households to ensure they are recycling correctly to reduce contamination. However, we’d encourage local councils to dedicate resources to educating the public on how best they can avoid recycling rejection with guidance on what can and can’t be recycled, alongside tips for cleaning materials. Local councils could also consider imposing fines more frequently for those who regularly disregard recycling rules as a deterrent.”
Adam
2025-07-28 09:22:09
I just throw what ever in which ever bin is closet.
Dave
2025-07-28 09:27:05
That's because you're Lazy, Adam.
Chel
2025-07-28 10:52:37
I like Adam.😆👍same as.
Mr Grumpy
2025-07-28 12:42:28
If it's card, paper, metal or plastic, it goes in the recycling. I really can't be asked to check the code on plastic to see if it is of the correct type. If the authorities don't like that, I will happily send all to landfill.
ratboy
2025-07-28 13:35:08
Trying to recycle as much as possible but that is hindered by different rules for every council.Some take this some do not.Get it all joined up across the whole country same recycling rules for every area and will food manufacturers make it easy for us to recycle that packaging.A simple big green star on packaging is all that is needed not a tiny triangle with a number in it which is a pain up the arse to find and then you have to decode whether that plastic is recyclable or not in your area.Make it simple for us and also remember all you local councils we paid for that packaging and you get it back for free.Think about that if you want compliance.
Stuart
2025-07-28 15:45:54
Adam / Chel - cool story. It's your money you're wasting, after all. Didn't realise it was cool to waste your own money, but you do you.
Living in the future
2025-07-29 10:45:38
Not recycling is down to ignorance, could be your lazy, (your partner could probably answer that) or maybe IQ - we all pay in the long run for not doing our part regardless of the problems posed by, councils, government and manufacturers.
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