The Cost of Contamination in Recycling for Business and the Planet

In 2016, the Hull City Council resorted to the extreme option of warning households to clean out their recyclable waste or lose their bins. Why? The council was losing 20% of the recyclable materials collected each year because of contamination, and it is likely costing your business too.  

This blog will explore the costs of contamination to businesses and the environment. 

What is Contamination?

Contamination occurs when non-recyclable items or the wrong materials end up in a recycling stream. At best, it lowers the quality of recyclables; at worst, it makes them completely unrecyclable. 

Common impacts of contamination include: 

• Lower material quality: Recycled materials become less useful. 

• Higher processing costs: Extra time and resources are needed to sort and clean waste. 

• Rejected recyclables: Excess contamination can lead to entire batches being sent to landfill or incineration. 

• Reduced market value: Contaminated materials are less desirable to buyers, reducing their economic worth. 

The Hidden Costs for Your Business

Taxes

Landfill tax is £126.15 per tonne in 2025, designed to encourage recycling. Contaminated waste sent to EfW may currently be cheaper, but government plans under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme will make EfW more expensive from 2028. 

Equipment Damage

Depending on the contaminating item, equipment can be damaged. Flexible plastics, for example, can be caught in the gears of collection vehicles or sorting equipment whereas improperly disposed of batteries are a serious fire risk. 

Operational Disruption

Handling contaminated waste takes extra time, energy, and resources, affecting collection schedules and increasing overheads. 

The Environmental Price of Contamination

Pollution

Sending contaminated waste to landfill can produce methane as food and other biodegradable waste decompose in oxygen-free environments. Methane is up to 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, meaning it’s very important to produce as little methane as possible if we want to keep global warming below 2°C. 

Incinerating waste also produces air pollution. In fact, since the UK no longer burns coal, it’s now by far and away the dirtiest method we generate power. This is in larger part because plastics are made from fossil fuels, so burning them in EfW facilities is equivalent to burning motor oil. 

Resource Use

Not recycling means more virgin resources are needed to produce products. Virgin materials frequently have a greater environmental impact than recyclates – the raw material sent to and processed in a material recovery facility so it can be used in producing new products. For example, the hunger for biofuel as an alternative to fossil fuels has contributed to deforestation in the Amazon and Indonesia. Recorra avoids contributing to this problem by using biofuel made from waste oil. 

How to Reduce Contamination

At Recorra, we help businesses reduce contamination with practical solutions: 

Dedicated Collections

A simple yet effective solution to contamination is setting up a collection dedicated to a particular material, such as separate paper, cardboard, food waste, and batteries bins. 

Find out more about the benefits of source segregation here. 

This is not just advice, however. Under 2025’s Simpler Recycling regulations, all businesses in the UK must collect their food waste separately and batteries and vapes must never be placed in general waste or other recycling streams.  

Bin Infrastructure, Signage & Training

Clear signage and curated engagement campaigns help staff and visitors recycle correctly. Recorra’s Sustainability Consultants provide tailored training, interactive stands, and easy-to-follow guides.  

Regular Monitoring & Feedback

Ongoing review of recycling habits ensures improvements are maintained and contamination rates drop.

Reducing Contamination with Recorra

At Recorra, we make it simple for London and South East businesses to tackle contamination.  

With dedicated collections, clear bin signage, and tailored staff engagement, our Sustainability Consultants help you set up systems that encourage real recycling. By combining practical infrastructure with expert guidance, we ensure your materials stay clean, maximise recycling rates, and reduce operational and environmental costs.