‘Wishcycling’: A seemingly harmless habit costing England millions

We’ve all stood in front of the recycling bins wondering which bin a bit of rubbish should go in.

“It’s lined with plastic, but it’s mostly made of cardboard so it should be fine in the paper, I suppose”

“It’s cardboard, but it’s a little bit food stained. But better to recycle than throw it in the general rubbish, right?”

Putting an item in the wrong bin and just hoping for the best is known as “wishcycling”, and it’s not as innocuous as you might think.

In fact, it’s costing the country millions of pounds…

Why is wishcycling such a big problem?

Wishcycling leads to recycling being rejected due to it contaminating the rest of the waste it’s thrown in with.

A report from the Local Government Association revealed that wishcycling costs English taxpayers an eye-watering £48 million a year.

The study found that 525,000 tonnes of household recycling was rejected at the sorting phase in 2019/20, with each tonne costing an extra £93 to send to an energy from waste facility.

And it seems the problem stems from people not knowing enough about recycling.

According to a recent survey from drinks brand Robinsons, 25% of respondents said they don’t feel educated enough to know which items go into each bin, while 42% said they don’t recycle properly because it’s just too confusing.

24% blamed their busy schedules for not having the time to properly sort their recycling, while 59% of respondents said they only ever throw paper in with the general rubbish instead of recycling.

Robinsons’ spokesperson Charlotte White said, “Clearly, the large majority of Brits try their best when it comes to recycling, but it’s not always simple when it comes to knowing what you can and can’t recycle.

“There are many myths that can add to the confusion when deciding what to put in your boxes for your collection, or what you can or cannot take to a recycling centre.”

MORE: Skip hire vs recycling centre: The pros and cons

It’s these myths and misconceptions that lead to wishcycling mistakes that a lot of people would simply not make if they knew exactly what to do.

The most common wishcycling mistakes

With so many different types of packaging, it’s hard to know what goes into which bin. People usually put things into the recycling with the best intentions, unaware of the potential contamination or damage it can cause to machinery.

For example, electronic devices that seem to be made mostly of plastic can cause fires or even explosions if put into a recycling bin due to the batteries often left inside.

MORE: ‘Lucky’ to escape explosion after this item ended up in recycling

In Suffolk, where SunSkips operates skip hire and waste management services, around 10,000 tonnes of waste (20%) is rejected every year, which could be avoided if residents knew what they were doing.

Here are some of the most common items that are recycled incorrectly so you know for next time:

Plastic bags

While it might stand to reason that plastic bags would go into the plastic recycling, it’s actually one of the most common recycling mistakes.

Soft plastic like bags, which includes food packaging like salad bags and crisp packets, can get caught in plastic recycling machinery so shouldn’t go in the plastic collection box.

Bagging up otherwise acceptable plastic recycling like bottles in plastic bags is also not the right way and could result in the whole bag being rejected.

Plastic bags should be taken to special soft plastic collection points, which can be found at some supermarkets, or refused altogether in favour of paper or reusable bags.

Pizza boxes

It’s cardboard, so it goes in with the paper, right?

Wrong. Pizza boxes almost always end up so covered in grease that the food residue can contaminate the rest of the paper and cardboard it’s thrown in with. Instead, mix it in with your composting or throw it in with the general waste.

Coffee cups

Coffee cups often look like a good candidate for paper recycling, but because they’re coated with a thin layer of plastic on the inside, they actually can’t be recycled at all.

Throw coffee cups in the general rubbish bin and take advantage of coffee shop initiatives that allow you to bring in your own reusable cup.

Electronics

Electronic waste is one of the more dangerous wishcycling problems, due to the batteries that are usually left inside.

Take electronic waste to a recycling centre, special collection point, or contact a skip hire firm like SunSkips, which can collect items like batteries by special arrangement.

Clothes

While it can seem like a shame to throw clothes out in the general waste, they can’t be recycled.

Clothes in good condition should be taken to a local charity shop or collection bin. Alternatively, you might try to make a few quid selling them on eBay or at a local car boot sale.

MORE: 10 common recycling mistakes you’re probably making

Refining the recycling process in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire

Suffolk Waste Partnership has launched the Together We Can Get Our Recycling Right campaign to help residents understand what can and cannot be recycled.

Councillor James Mallinder, Chair of the Suffolk Waste Partnership, said poor recycling habits have got worse since Covid-19 struck.

He said, “It is essential we make sure we put the right things in our recycling bins. Since the pandemic, we have seen an increase in the wrong items being recycled, so we hope that this campaign serves as a helpful nudge in making sure we get it right.

“Our crews and staff at the recycling sorting centre have been working hard to maintain front line services. By ensuring we get our recycling right, we can all help to make their jobs easier in these difficult times.”

In Cambridgeshire, the county council takes advantage of Recycle Week to remind residents what items should go in which bins.

MORE: The surprising waste item stinking up Suffolk’s recycling

The bottom line is that if you’re not sure which recycling bin your waste should go in, don’t just throw it in what you think is the best fit and hope for the best. Check online resources for the facts so you can be sure no one will catch you doing any embarrassing wishcycling.

SunSkips sorts mixed waste at its four sites across East Anglia to separate out recyclable materials. Contact our friendly team to discover our best rates for clients that can separate their waste into single streams at source.