ALMOST 10,000 tonnes of recycling collected in Worcestershire was rejected and had to be sent to landfill last year.

Of the 122,000 tonnes of rubbish sent for recycling in Worcestershire in 2020/21, more than 9,600 tonnes of it was rejected and sent to landfill according to figures provided by the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs.

Worcestershire County Council said clothes, shoes and food waste were the items wrongly found in green bins that caused the most problems.

However, the figures show that the amount of rejected recycling in Worcestershire has dropped since 2014/15 when almost 15,500 tonnes were turned away for landfill.

This drop also comes as the amount of rubbish collected by councils across Worcestershire continues to rise – with 283,000 tonnes of rubbish collected in 2020/21 compared to 264,000 tonnes in 2014/15.

The amount of rubbish sent to recycling has also increased from nearly 108,000 tonnes in 2014/15 to 122,700 tonnes in 2020/21.

Of the recycling that was rejected, 2,220 tonnes came from homes in Wychavon and 1,600 tonnes came from homes in Worcester.

Councillor Richard Morris, cabinet member for the environment at Worcestershire County Council said: “Worcestershire residents currently recycle around 44 per cent of what they throw away every year.

“Our recycling rate is dependent on our residents ensuring that they know what can and cannot be recycled and placing it in the correct bin. 

“It’s essential people only place the right items in the bin and ensure they are loose, clean and dry.

“Please don’t put your recycling in a plastic bag as this causes problems at our sorting facility EnviroSort. The most common items we find in the green bins that shouldn’t be there are clothes, shoes and food waste.

“In order to help us increase our recycling rates and minimise the amount of recycling that is currently rejected we would encourage residents to visit www.letswasteless.com. The site hosts a comprehensive A-Z list of what you can recycle in your green recycling bin.”

Worcester City Council said food tins, pet food tins, drink cans and aerosols can go in recycling bins along with glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, tubs and containers, newspapers and magazines, cartons and cardboard boxes.

But in order to be recycled, items must be clean and contain no glitter or foil. Black plastic, polystyrene, plastic bags and film and food wrappers cannot be recycled.

Items must also not contain food waste such as takeaway pizza boxes and inner plastic films also have to be removed.