How to fix the UK’s broken recycling system

There are currently 39 different bin collection regimes with different rules and regulations across 391 local authorities

Workers sort recycling on conveyor belt
Research from Wrap, a climate action charity, has found that 82% of UK households regularly add at least one item to their recycling collection that’s not accepted locally
(Image credit: Peter Dazeley / Getty Images)

Torik Holmes, research associate at the sustainable consumption institute at the University of Manchester, Helen Holmes, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Manchester, and Kristoffer Kortsen, post doctoral research associate at the University of Manchester explain how the recycling system in the UK has got so complicated and what can be done to alleviate the issue.

Maybe you have one bin or many boxes. You might even have a compost caddy. Whatever your recycling setup, chances are that at some point you’ve been left wondering what should go where and if a particular item is indeed recyclable or if it should just go in the main dustbin.

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