It’s time to ‘talk rubbish’ and prioritise recycling with launch of new waste campaign

The campaign, called ‘Talking Rubbish’, has been set up by Gloucestershire Recycles, which is a partnership of Gloucestershire County Council and the six districts. It aims to answer questions about recycling and clarify some of the myths and misinformation.

According to figures from December 2023, the amount of household waste in Gloucestershire sent for reuse, recycling and composting was 52.4 per cent – and more than 60 per cent of what is put in the average waste bin in Gloucestershire could have been recycled.

Households are also contaminating their recycling through well-intended ‘wishcycling’. Wishcycling is putting something in the recycling bin and hoping it will be recycled when it cannot or is unlikely to be recycled.

Glass is the number one contaminate, with many households mistakenly adding old or broken drinking glasses to their recycling. Contamination creates problems along the recycling process and can ultimately mean that the recycling cannot be made into new materials.

Plastics are a very important topic for lots of people. The campaign is aimed at equipping residents with the knowledge of which plastics can and can’t be recycled easily in Gloucestershire, along with other materials. The campaign will encourage residents to ask questions, with the aim of raising awareness of recycling and increasing recycling rates across the county.

Gloucestershire residents can submit their questions about recycling online and find out more information about the campaign at https://www.gloucestershirerecycles.com/talkingrubbish

They can also use the Waste Wizard to find out what to do with items they aren't sure about, including whether it can be recycled kerbside or where the nearest recycling point is for that item. You can use the Waste Wizard at:  https://gloucestershirerecycles.com/wizard

Residents can also find where their recycling goes on the ‘end destination’ pages at https://gloucestershirerecycles.com/enddestinations

Cllr David Gray, cabinet member for environment, economy and planning, said: “This campaign is a great way to support communities by answering all their questions about waste and recycling. It will help people find out all the information they need, such as if an item is suitable for recycling or where the nearest recycling point is to dispose of it.

“Gloucestershire residents already do an impressive amount of recycling and this campaign will help us to do even more, which will help us create a greener Gloucestershire.”