10 most wasteful areas in England
Have you ever wondered how much waste you send to landfill each year, and what exactly happens to your rubbish after it’s collected?
No matter how carefully you try to recycle, it's up to your local council how much of this ultimately gets reused and sent to landfill.
A recent study by Hippo Waste has revealed the most wasteful areas of England using DEFRA statistics – and in some areas, a lot more household waste was recycled after it was collected from people's doorsteps, compared to others.
The study combines the amount of household waste collected per person with the percentage of waste that was recycled, reused or composted to reveal England's most wasteful areas.
Below are the worst offenders, revealing who topped the list and recycled the least…
10 most wasteful areas in England
Council of the Isles of Scilly: 36.3% of 600.6kg per person
Middlesborough Borough Council: 23.1% of 437.6kg per person
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council: 25.2% of 415.3kg per person
Liverpool City Council: 17.9% of 369.6kg per person
Cornwall Council: 34.1% of 457.1kg per person
Gateshead MBC: 31.7% of 431.8kg per person
Northumberland Council: 34% of 445kg per person
Westminster City Council: 24.6% of 385.9kg per person
Merseyside WDA (MBC): 34.7% of 446.5kg per person
Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council: 18% of 345.5kg per person
A word in in the Isles of Scilly’s defence, though… Country Living was lucky enough to visit the islands a few months ago, and due to its remote location – an almost three-hour boat journey away from the mainland, and weather conditions often halt transport – it has some logistical challenges when it comes to recycling.
However, many residents told us that they recycle amongst themselves – St Martin’s Vineyard, for example, collects bottles from island residents to sterilise and use for its wine.
However, not all of us have that excuse. “This research shines a spotlight on the urgent need for all of us to rethink how we handle waste and recycling in our communities,” says Gareth Lloyd Jones, managing director of Hippo Waste. “We can all play a role in reducing waste and increasing recycling waste.
“It’s interesting to see how much the average person produces in household waste every year, as this is often something that goes unnoticed when simply binning things becomes part of our daily routine.”
Top tips to recycle better in 2025
Make 2025 your greenest year yet, and do your bit to maximise the amount of your waste that is reused and recycled with these tips...
Don’t recycle small items. Anything smaller than a credit card – including straws, bottle caps, coffee pods and paperclips – will be too small to be sorted, and can jam recycling equipment anything smaller than a credit card.
Rinse out containers before recycling. Although there's no need to wash up items before recycling, make sure they are empty and reasonably clean to avoid them being diverted to landfill.
Find schemes for hard-to-recycle items. Many retailers, including Boots and John Lewis, offer schemes where you get rewards in return for recycling items such as beauty product packaging or unwanted clothing
Check your plastics. It can be hard to know which plastics are recyclable, and it varies by area so always check your local guidance. As a general rule of thumb, hard plastics can be recycled in your household collection, whereas soft plastics – such as films and plastic bags – need to go to a special recycling point. Many supermarkets have one: find your nearest by entering your postcode here.
Reuse as much as possible. The best way to be sure your waste doesn't end up in landfill is to reuse things, rather than throwing them away. You can wash up glass jars to store nuts, seeds and pulses, for example, then sterilise them by drying them in an oven at 140C (fan 120C) for about 10 minutes to use for jams, preserves and pickling. Berry trays and cans can be filled with compost to become windowsill planters for seeds, and plastic bags reused as small bin liners.
Toothbrushes
How often do you throw away a toothbrush? Every few months? Well, instead of contributing to waste, you could actually recycle your toothbrush because both the plastic holder and bristles have other purposes. In the UK, you can recycle toothbrushes through the website Preserve Products.
Stamps
If you get a card in the post with a stamp on, instead of throwing the whole thing away – or recycling the whole envelope – why not recycle the stamps on their own for a good cause? Against Breast Cancer turns old stamps into funds to support breast cancer research. Macmillan, the Dog's Trust and PDSA are just a few other charities that have similar schemes.
Carpet
Redecorating? Don't just chuck out your old, shabby carpet. Carpet can be re-used for a range of things including insulation and making new equestrian surfaces, according to Carpet Recycling UK who say each year 40,000 tonnes of carpet is wasted in the UK. Visit the organisation's website to find out how you can recycle your old carpet.
Old pound coins
If you still have old pound coins lingering around after the October switch, you can put them to a brilliant charitable use. Recycling For Good Causes will accept the coins and then turn that into money for a chosen charity or good cause.
Pens
Most households have a collection of broken and old pens that they keep 'just in case' they start working again. But really, wouldn't these be better recycled?
Terracycle and BIC have partnered to create The Writing Instruments Recycling Programme which separates the writing instruments, cleans and melts them into hard plastic which can be made into new products.
Makeup packaging
Why not clear room in your vanity case by recycling your old blusher pots and eyeshadow palettes .
There are a range of different schemes to help you recycle from makeup brands themselves. MAC, Kiehl's and Origins all have recycling programmes, and at MAC you even get a free lipstick when you give back at least six empty MAC cosmetic containers.
Bikes
If you thought your old bike was too big to recycle then you're wrong. There are now a few schemes which promote recycling your bike instead of dumping it in the local tip.
One is The Bike Project which takes second-hand bikes, fixes them up and then donates them to refugees and asylum seekers in London. Similarly Re-Cycle donates old bikes to children in Africa.
Mobile phones
If you've upgraded to a newer model, you can get rid of your phone while helping the environment and earning money thanks to Envirofone who end up recycling 98% mobiles sent its way. Find out more here.
Bras
If you have a bra which you no longer fancy wearing, has got slightly tatty or no longer fits you can recycle it! The charity Smalls For All accepts new or 'gently worn' bras of any size and donates them to women who need them most in Africa. Against Breast Cancer has a similar scheme which helps fund much-needed research into breast cancer.
Cigarette butts
While it might seem that cigarette ends should be put firmly in bin, there's actually a way to dispose of them ecologically. Via Terracycle, you can sign up to the Cigarette Waste Recycling Scheme where you can send your cigarette butts to a warehouse. The warehouse staff then use the filters, foil and plastic to recycle into plastic pellets while composting the tobacco.
Wine corks
One way you can feel a little less guilty for having that bottle of wine is by knowing you can dispose of those pesky corks in a way that helps the planet.
For every cork donated to Recorked UK and subsequently recycled, they donate a percentage of the profit to charity. They also supply corks to charities and schools to help with arts and crafts projects.
Coffee pods
It can be confusing to know what to do with coffee pods. They look like they should be recycled but a lot of local authorities do not permit it. That's where organisations like TerraCycle can step in. Their scheme allows you to purchase a box and then when it is full send it off to be recycled. Last year, coffee giant Nespresso announced they would be launching a similar scheme.
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