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New poll shows nearly 30% of us could recycle more
Simpler and consistent information could help tackle a problem costing councils
millions
Embargoed: 00.01am, Monday 12 September
Results from a new poll show nearly 3 in 10 people don’t recycle as much as they could, with 38%
of those people citing confusing information on packaging or from local authorities as the reason.
These figures are more pronounced among younger people, with those aged 16-34 least likely to
say that they recycle all they can (57%) and more likely to be confused about what can be
recycled. This finding leads to questions about the means by which councils and service providers
are communicating with their younger residents. The poll shows that the likelihood to recycle
increases with age, with 82% of 55-74 year olds and 88% over 75s saying they recycle all they
can.
People living in Wales, which has been praised for its cohesive and ambitious recycling strategy,
were among the most likely to say that 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 findings come from a poll conducted by Serco’s Environmental Services business and long-
term research partner Future Thinking, which surveyed over 12,000 members of the general
public and has been published to mark National Recycle Week (12-18 September).
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%); that they did not have recycling
bags or bins (5%); they didn’t believe it was being recycled (4%) and, that they simply could not
be bothered (3%).
Serco’s Environmental Service’s business, which manages waste collections for over 1 million
households on behalf of 16 local authorities across England, estimates that confusion over what
can be put in household recycling is costing local authorities around £45m each year as a result of
contaminated waste that is unable to be processed (total based on the cost of disposal per tonne
of contaminated waste and the lost income per tonne of what could have potentially been

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recycled). Plus, as it’s often cheaper to burn than process mixed waste, there is also a wider
environmental impact in terms of increased CO2 emissions.
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.
It points to the successful partnership working between the government and the 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.
Robin Davies, Serco’s Business Development Director for Environmental Services, said:
“While it is encouraging that a large proportion of people believe they already recycle all they can,
the fact is that recycling rates, especially in England, have plateaued over recent years. 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. Clearer and consistent information would help people understand what items to put in
the right bins and recycle more, leaving local authorities to set their waste collection policies to suit
local needs, and building greater confidence among the public that items that can be recycled are
being recycled.
“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: “It’s encouraging to
see that people are evidently sold on the recycling message and are keen to do their bit. However,
the research also demonstrates that people are aware that they could recycle more and are
conscious of how confusing recycling information can be. 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

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insights into human behaviour, is a crucial part of delivering a sustainable and environmentally-
conscious future.”
Twitter: @SercoESUK @FutureThinkHQ #recycyling
Ends
For further information, or interviews please contact:
Tracey Cobbett at Serco on 07590 779 327 or tracey.cobbett@serco.com or Velvet PR:
 Bhavna Mistry, Velvet PR, 0208 996 1802; bhavna@velvetpr.biz
 Jack Ferris, Velvet PR, 0208 996 1805; jack@velvetpr.biz
 Sean Barry, Velvet PR, 0208 996 1801; sean@velvetpr.biz
Notes to editors
1. The national poll was conducted by Future Thinking from 1-9 August 2016 with a sample size of 12,166.
For further information on the findings, please see our infographic.
2. The survey follows the release of government data last month showing that the amount of household
rubbish being rejected for recycling at material recycling facilities (MRFs) in England has increased by
84% over the past four years.
3. The most recent Defra statistics show around 45% of household waste is currently recycled. There is an
EU target for the UK to recycle at least 50% by 2020.
4. As an example, there are difficulties in marrying the current plastic packaging labelling system (see
picture below) with providing simple, effective communications to residents. The labelling system sets
out seven types of plastics which can be recycled, but actually only a handful of these plastics (types 1
and 2) are currently collected and then recycled through household waste doorstep collections. Some
popular household items in the other five categories, such as food bags and egg cartons, can only be
recycled at designated centres, but people see the symbol on plastic packaging and wrongly assume
that it can be put in their household recycling, leading to increased waste contamination levels.
5. Now in its 13th year, National Recycle Week is a celebration of recycling. The theme this year is “The
Unusual Suspects”. The aim is to encourage people to think about all those items that often get
forgotten about when recycling at home. For more information visit www.wrap.org.uk/content/recycle-
week-2016

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About Serco
Serco is a leading provider of public services. Our customers are governments or others operating in the
public sector. We gain scale, expertise and diversification by operating internationally across five sectors
and four geographies: Defence, Justice & Immigration, Transport, Health and Citizen Services, delivered in
UK & Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. More information can be found at
www.serco.com
About Serco’s Environmental Services business
Serco’s Environmental Services business provides refuse and recycling collection, street cleansing, vehicle
maintenance and landscapes services to UK local authorities. We also operate fully integrated waste and
recycling contracts which include waste and recycling treatment, processing, recovery and disposal. The
company works in long term partnership with 16 local authorities with many relationships spanning several
decades. We pride ourselves in taking a more customer-centred approach in the way we think and act and
to bringing a residents perspective to the way we design and deliver services. With a £2.5bn forward
contract order book and with over 5,000 colleagues it represents a very important part of the Serco Group.
About Future Thinking

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Future Thinking is a global company of researchers, marketers, statisticians, strategists, innovators,
creatives and industry experts. We take a consultative approach to market research, placing a commercial
focus at the heart of everything we do, by focusing on three key areas that drive a competitive advantage –
launch, communicate and experience.
We integrate qual, quant and analytics through the latest technologies to deliver research that engages
audiences and drives action.
Our mission is to work alongside brands and businesses to deliver consumer and business insights that tell
stories, inspire action and travel within an organisation, long after the debrief.
Future Thinking’s client portfolio includes: McDonald’s, Dixons Retail, Mercedes-Benz, ITV, Unilever, Great
Western Railways, The Walt Disney company, GSK and more.
For more information, visit: www.futurethinking.com or follow us on Twitter: @FutureThinkHQ
To see more of our added insights specific to Retail and Shopper follow us on Twitter: @FutureConsumer_