The recycling rate has fallen in Brighton and Hove, according to the latest figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The figures showed that 111,049 tonnes of waste were collected by Brighton and Hove City Council in the year to March 2024.
This included waste collected directly from outside people’s homes, as well as street bins, street sweeping and waste from council parks and grounds.
Of the 103,586 tonnes of household waste collected, 28,406 tonnes was sent for recycling, composting or reuse, giving a recycling rate of 27 per cent.
This was slightly lower than the year before, when the rate stood at 28 per cent.
In Brighton and Hove, each household generated an average of 556.2kg of waste over 12 months, slightly more than the 546.6kg generated in the previous year.
The figures also showed that 2,349 tonnes of waste which was collected for recycling was ultimately rejected, for example, because of contamination.
Across England, the recycling rate for waste from households was 44 per cent in 2023, up from 43 per cent in 2022.
The total amount of waste handled by local authorities went up by 2 per cent to 25.1 million tonnes.
The amount of this sent to landfill (1.4 million tonnes) decreased by 22 per cent compared with the previous year and accounted for 6 per cent of all local authority waste.
However, an extra half a million tonnes was sent for incineration.
The figures were compiled from returns submitted by about 320 councils. For more detail, click here.
The council’s rubbish and recycling service is currently switching from paper-based records to a digital system at its Hollingdean depot.
A recent audit made a number of recommendations including: “Review the programme’s communications and engagement plan prior to the start of each phase to ensure that the appropriate key stakeholders at each phase of the project are kept informed and updated.”
The ageing fleet of bin lorries is being replaced, with breakdowns having become more frequent, although new electric bin lorries have not bee without their teething troubles.
The council, like others, has also been preparing for a number of changes required by changes to the law and government policy.
From this month, businesses have been required to separate paper and card from other recyclable materials. The rules are due to apply to household waste from next April.
And from next year, councils will be required to recycle a wider range of materials including food and garden waste.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents most councils, said that they would need more time and money to adapt to the new rules.
Councillor Adam Hug, who speaks on the environment for the LGA, said that some “local flexibility” would be needed such as in places where extra bins might not be practical because of limited space.
The government has said that it remains committed to achieving a “zero-waste economy” and wants to increase investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs.
It also intends to start a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October 2027.
Waste Minister Mary Creagh said: “More recycling will end the avalanche of rubbish plaguing our streets and reduce the pollution poisoning our rivers and seas.
“But this small increase should not distract from the fact that household recycling rates have stalled – and for years have failed to show significant improvement.
“We are taking bold action to reset this. Through our packaging reforms we will streamline recycling and stimulate more than £10 billion of investment in recycling capability over the next decade, jumpstarting our recycling rates and moving us closer to a more circular economy.”
I believe the only way you’ll have a very effective recycling system is through a German-style mandatory separation of recycling, with fines for non-compliance. Having said that, collections themselves struggle to keep up – glass in particular seems to take weeks to months sometimes to collect, and that’s not going to encourage people to recycle.
That include introducing a deposit return and payment for cans schemes
I’ve lived in Germany for 3 years now and while it is weird at first, you very quickly learn to keep all your cans and plastic bottles because you get 25 – 50p back for each one. The recycling machines are in the supermarkets so it doesn’t require too much work. The cherry on top is that you see homeless people walking around looking for cans and bottles left behind so they can make a few quid out of it, especially around big events like concerts and football games. When people drink in the park they take their cans and bottles with them – they’re worth money.
I’m not at all surprised the recycling rate has gone down. In fact, I’d predicted exactly this after Magpie stopped its recycling collection…
All the PET and PP plastics we (as a household) had been collecting cannot be recycled in Brighton through any other avenue, thus it has to go into the bin – a double-whammy in fact, as it means we are generating MORE waste (as this previously wouldn’t have been part of the council’s records of waste or recycling) and ultimately recycling less. We’re just one household but I understand that Magpie had thousands of customers…
What has always amazed me, having moved to Brighton 27 years ago, is why Brighton has ALWAYS been behind the curve on this? We’ve actually gone backwards in fact as aluminium foil used to be collected but that stopped some years back… I’ve seen councils of all colours come and go and STILL we lag behind the rest of the country in basic recyclable collection. Yes, I know recycling pots, tubs and trays isn’t great (as the council keeps telling us) but surely it’s better to do something rather than stick your head in the sand (as councils seem to do) and ignore the issue or assume that people will be able to buy items not using plastic trays.
On a positive note, it’s been good to see more electronics and TetraPak collection sites made available. But how well was that ever communicated out? I don’t recall ever seeing a leaflet about it and only know as someone who recycles as much as possible.
I won’t say I know what the answer is – surely people don’t STILL need educating about recycling? Or Is the awareness of some of these newer facilities lacking? Is fining really the only solution?
Yep – it’s not surprise. They are collecting less and seem to have no handle on collections at all.
My next prediction is that the Labour administration will continue to churn out the same line that they will be expanding the items collected and recycle and will be introducing food waste collections, but they will forget (as always) to mention these services are being introduced because of new national legislation forcing them to start, and forgetting to mention they’ve been given millions of pounds by (the last government – not even the Labour one) to make sure they do start the services they legally have to start by March next years.
It’s just not being honest with residents for them to miss out key details. Good that this article refers to the new legislation, but frustrating that politicians try and palm off improvements they had no role in agreeing as their own. Watch this space, I am confident that Labour councillors will continue to peddle the line and probably be sticking it on their leaflets at election time.
All that changes in May . Check out the council website https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2025/major-expansion-recycling-provision
That’s kind of my point Derek. Brighton council will be expanding recycling collected by March 2026, but ONLY because they are being forced to due to changes in national legislation.
Labour councillors locally have already tried to pass this off a political win they have achieved, which is simply not the case. New legislation passed in 2021 comes into force next year, so if the council don’t expand their recycling by then they will not be meeting their new legal duties to collect more items. Despite ALL councils being mandated to collect the same materials for recycling, this administration have tried to pass off the changes as something they have simply decided to do. I predict it will be front and centre of their future election leaflets – claiming that they expanded items collected in 2026 and they will make no mention that it’s because of legislation passed by the last government 4 years ago.
Perhaps Labour councillors will prove me wrong and they will be honest that the changes coming into force, including food waste collections starting next year, are due to new legislation and the millions of pounds of public money the government have given them to do it. If they do play political games and spin it otherwise though it’s important residents see it for what it is!
The article states “In Brighton and Hove, each household generated an average of 556.2 tonnes of waste over 12 months…”
As the comments on this website frequently demonstrate, the residents of our city are full of 5h17, but generating in excess of 10 tonnes of a waste a week is mind-blowing, no wonder the waste and recycling service struggles to keep up.
10 tonnes per week? Something must be wrong with that number as there’s no way my wheelie bin holds 10 tonnes 😂
I’m not doubting your maths, I’m doubting the source material / how they have come to that number. Does it include businesses and schools? Shouldn’t those be treated separately as they have separate contracts in many cases…
It says kg.
Not sure if that change happened since your post but this mixing of units gets confusing
It’s been updated, there goes my fun.
It did says tonnes. I corrected my mistake earlier. Sorry for the error – and for spoiling anyone’s fun by putting it right. Thanks go to the eagle-eyed readers who were kind enough to let me know.
Whatever happened to a majority Labour Council sorting out this problem. They spent years attacking the Greens, and now they are even worse.
Time for Bella to do the decent thing and resign.
People have to do their bit as well, by reducing their waste and by putting the right items in the recycling right bins. Washing out and crushing plastic bottles and cans. Folding cardboard or cutting it up before taking it to the bins so that it fits in.
but let’s be real they won’t unless there’s something in it for them
If people really want to do their bit then creating less waste in the first place would be more effective. We can also choose where we shop and push manufacturers to use packaging that’s easy to recycle in the first place.
Aside from all the things we could and should do or steps manufacturers should take, there is so much the council should be doing, which they aren’t. A key one being simply collecting bins in the first place. Missed collections have rocketed, so it doesn’t take a genius to know that will impact on figures. It also creates frustration for residents, in particular those using overflowing communal bins that haven’t been collected.
It’s harder and non rewarding to recycle so many don’t bother.
The glass recycling from my block of flats has not been emptied since Xmas and the combined recycling only once since then, despite constant emails requesting it be done. People are simply binning everything now.
Look at the mess of our pavements with overflowing bins and recycling points! My concern is that introducing food waste bins is going to create a serious rat and seagull fest once those bins start overflowing as well. I hope not but no faith I’m afraid
It should be a good thing and new laws are good, but think everyone in Brighton and Hove lacks confidence that the council administration won’t screw it up – they can’t collect bins as it it. Years ago the Labour councillor Gill Mitchell gave the reason for her administraion not introducing food waste collections back then as being because the council wanted to concentrate on improving existing waste and recycling services first before introducing a new one. That didn’t go well!
It’s a con
Worry about which bin for your yogurt cup
We had 50 skips on one job alone . And they said they had zero landfill waste as a business
And with the rate of immigration there is no point worrying about my yogurt cup
With single mums . There is no point worrying about my yogurt cup
If you can’t see your child have another one with another mother . Why worry about my yogurt cup
So gonna book a holiday now taking an airplane
No need whatsoever to worry about my yogurt cup
There really is no need for all the plastic waste supermarket produce
Again I’m not worried about my yogurt cup
Landfill is just sweeping crap under the rug and charging tax for it
There has been no report on what improvements have been made at the sorting facility to add cartons, trays and foil.
The reports from the environment agency prove upto 1/3 of material collected for recycling is burnt or is contamination in loads sent to processors.
Shame on the councillors that peddle the lies to keep their town hall privileges.
Easy explanation in Brighton.. too many slobs who generally don’t care about the local environment. Happy to dump their rubbish on the streets or larger items flytipped. Two mattresses today on the street nearby.
The council system is very substandard but many residents simply don’t care. Not a ‘green’ city.
Our recycling gets emptied irregularly so it’s a gamble if it goes to waste or not. I don’t have time or energy to be messing about driving to a recycling drop off if they’re full. I’m sorry but we do also pay for this service? I’m riddled with guilt really but I do me best.