“Quality is important because it affects the uses the material can be put to. Quality materials can be easily reused in ways which give the most benefit to the environment.”
Sorting household recycling at the kerbside is the “best and cheapest option in most cases”, the Waste & Resources Action Programme concludes in a major report looking at the various ways of collecting household recycling launched on June 9th.
Drawing on its latest research the Report claims that fully commingled collections for recyclables have “cost and quality disadvantages” which should “limit their use except where other options are not suitable”.
WRAP argues the evidence is clear that the quality of the materials recovered for recycling is affected by the way they are collected. It states: “Quality is important because it affects the uses the material can be put to. Quality materials can be easily reused in ways which give the most benefit to the environment.”
“Kerbside sorted materials are consistently good quality with less than 1% being rejected,” it continues. ”Commingled collections are subject to higher contamination rates and have higher levels of rejection.”
“Our research indicates that 87% who have to separate recyclables into different containers say they do not mind doing this. Commingled collections should only be used where no other system would work.
WRAP is advising local authorities who are reviewing their arrangements to base their choices on four considerations:
- Quality of materials
- Cost Efficiency
- Cost Effectiveness
- Public acceptability
In its leaflet, WRAP said that it believes that this latest information will help local authorities make informed decisions about the type of collection service they choose.