Using figures from DEFRA and DAERA, the study reveals Carlisle City Council has one of the lowest recycling rejection rates in the country at 0.16%, ranking joint sixth nationally.
This means almost all the city’s 17,604 tonnes of household recycling is successfully processed.
Preparing recyclables by rinsing, emptying, and drying containers makes them more likely to be processed correctly and turned into new products.
The findings come ahead of the government’s Simpler Recycling legislation, which will take effect in 2026 to make recycling rules clearer and more consistent across England.
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Tendring District Council in the East of England topped the list, and Barrow-in-Furness had the UK’s highest rejection rate at 43.91%, with nearly half its recyclable waste turned away due to contamination.
Mark Hall from Carlisle-based BusinessWaste.co.uk said: “There is a huge diversity in recycling rejection rates across England and Northern Ireland with some local authorities seeing rates close to 45%, whereas others only have one tonne of waste rejected.
“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.”
To find out more, you can visit the website here: https://www.businesswaste.co.uk/.
