Cornwall’s Recycling Rate Rises to 52% Following New Collection Service

Cornwall’s recycling rate has jumped by more than 20% since the rollout of the new collection service, but a large amount of recyclable material is still ending up in rubbish bins.

Recycling leaps to 52%

Weekly food waste and fortnightly recycling and rubbish collections were rolled out across Cornwall in 2024 and 2025. The change has already had a significant impact, with the Duchy’s household recycling rate increasing from 31% to 52%.

Residents have recycled 20,000 tonnes of food waste so far — the equivalent weight of more than 66 million pasties.

Recycle Week reminder

During Recycle Week, running from 22nd September to 28th September, Cornwall Council is encouraging everyone to double-check what they are throwing away and ensure recyclables don’t get lost in the rubbish.

A recent analysis of Cornwall’s household waste showed:

• Food waste made up 22% of black bag rubbish, with 43% of that food still in its packaging.

• Recyclable items such as aluminium tins, plastic bottles and glass jars accounted for 16%.

• A further 7% of waste could have been taken to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

“We’ve still got more work to do”

Councillor Loic Rich, cabinet member with responsibility for Environment and Climate Change, said:

“Cornwall’s recycling rate has improved significantly but we’ve still got more work to do.

“Our recent compositional analysis found that 45% of black bag waste could have been recycled, and around half of that was food waste.

“Next year people will be able to recycle soft plastics and cartons from home. In the meantime, Recycle Week is the perfect time to think about what’s ending up in the bin and how we can all recycle more.”

Helpful links

If you’re unsure about what can be recycled, more information can be found on the Cornwall Council website.

Advice on using your food waste caddy is available here.

You can also order more recycling bags online.