Council recycling information confusing

A new poll shows that nearly 30 per cent of us could recycle more, with 38 per cent of those people citing confusing information on packaging or from local authorities as the reason for not recycling.

The figures, produced by Future Thinking for environmental services firm Serco, show that those aged 16-34 are least likely to say that they recycle all they can (57 per cent) and more likely to be confused about what can be recycled.

The poll shows that the likelihood to recycle increases with age, with 82 per cent of 55-74 year-olds and 88 per cent of those over the age of 75 saying they recycle all they can.

People living in Wales were among the most likely to say that they are already recycling all they can (75 per cent), while those living in Northern Ireland were least likely to say they recycle all they can – 63 per cent.

Only eight per cent of people across the country said collections need to be more frequent to improve recycling rates, while five per cent called for the need for some kind of financial reward.