Guildford Among Top Quarter for Recycling Rejection Rates in the South East, New Data Reveals

Published on: 28 Jul, 2025
Updated on: 30 Jul, 2025

Guildford’s Recycling Centre in Slyfield

Guildford Borough Council has ranked 24th out of 69 local authorities in the South East for recycling rejection rates, according to new data from waste management company BusinessWaste.co.uk.

The report, which analysed figures from DEFRA [Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs] and DAERA [Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs], shows that 7.6 per cent of recycling material collected in the Guildford area is rejected due to contamination or incorrect sorting.

While this puts Guildford in the upper quarter of the region for waste being diverted away from actual recycling, it also highlights that the majority of residents are getting it right.

Recycling rejection refers to materials collected as recycling that are then deemed unsuitable and are either incinerated or sent to landfill. Common causes of contamination include dirty containers, non-recyclable plastics, or incorrect items placed in recycling bins.

The South East region’s highest rejection rate was recorded in Southampton, where nearly one in four loads of recycling (24.15 per cent) was rejected. Portsmouth (18.59 per cent) and Gosport (18.14 per cent) also recorded high rejection levels.

By contrast, councils such as Thanet and Tunbridge Wells reported rejection rates of just 1.21 per cent and 1.69 per cent respectively.

Graham Matthews of BusinessWaste.co.uk commented: “There is a certain onus on households to ensure they are recycling correctly to reduce contamination. However, we’d encourage local councils to dedicate resources to educating the public on how best they can avoid recycling rejection.”

Guildford Borough Council has ongoing initiatives aimed at improving recycling practices, including online guidance and community outreach, though the new data suggests more education may be needed to reduce avoidable waste.

Residents can visit www.guildford.gov.uk/recycling for more information on what can and cannot be recycled locally.