How West Midlands council is trying to increase its recycling rates

A West Midlands city council is hoping targeted education can help bring its recycling rates up to the national average.

Lauren Jackson, waste and recycling education and communication officer for Worcester City Council, has been leading renewed efforts to improve public understanding and participation since her appointment in September 2025.

Ms Jackson said: “A lot of the resources were limited and outdated when I started.

“There’s also been a firm forging of relationships within the city, including the university and schools.

“The more we get children engaged, the more we’ll see that long-term behavioural change.

“By the end of the summer we’ll have interacted with half of the schools in the city, which is really nice.

“It’s been really positive so far and the children get a lot from these visits.”

The officer has made school visits, attended fairs and engaged with community events to spread awareness across all age groups.

She identified flats and HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) as particular problem areas for recycling due to high contamination and low participation.

However, she reported successes from joint walkabouts with Platform Housing, which have already helped reduce fly-tipping in some areas.

A recent ‘not sure box’ trial in three parts of Worcester saw residents receive personalised recycling feedback, resulting in a 32 per cent drop in contamination.

Speaking to the council’s environment committee at Worcester Guildhall, Ms Jackson said recycling confidence among those residents has since risen by 69 per cent.

She told councillors that Worcester’s overall recycling rate remains about 10 per cent below the national average.

But she pointed to examples where food waste collections have boosted recycling rates by up to 15 per cent in other areas.

Asked about the most common recycling mistakes, Ms Jackson said: “The repeat offenders are soft plastics – that’s plastic film, plastic bags – tissues, and food waste as well, but hopefully when we get the food waste collection we’ll start to clear that issue up.”

Worcester is expected to launch its food waste collection in spring 2027 – about a year after the government deadline to bring in the service.

Ms Jackson also warned that incorrect items by weight, such as tools and carpet offcuts, can heavily skew recycling metrics.

Contaminated recycling, whether due to improper sorting or food residue, often cannot be processed and is instead incinerated.

Councillor Karen Lewing praised Ms Jackson’s efforts, describing them as “positive and proactive.”