Around 230,000 tonnes of recyclable waste 'dumped in landfill sites'

New statistics from the government show that around 230,000 tonnes of waste which could have been recycled was instead sent to landfill sites in the UK last year.

This is because the waste in question was contaminated, or not properly sorted, including items such as food scraps and nappies.

In some areas, up to 20 per cent of the household waste left out for recycling, including glass, plastic and paper, had to be sent to landfill or incinerated due to it being mixed with other items.

Jess Ross from the consumer watchdog Which? stated that more should be done to educate people on the importance of properly sorting recycling.

"Not only will it reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, but it could even save us money on our council tax bills – which is a great incentive to recycle better," she explained.

Meanwhile, Peter Jones, an adviser to the City of London on waste management services, claimed that Australia is around ten years behind the UK when it comes to managing its waste and landfill systems.