Brent's recycling rates are on the rise, but contamination remains a significant hurdle. The council is implementing several measures to address contamination and improve recycling rates, including improving communal recycling infrastructure, introducing indoor kitchen caddies and liners to properties in blocks of flats, and targeted communication and engagement campaigns, such as the Monsters contamination campaign. According to a recent report presented at the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee meeting on Wednesday, 16 July 2025, the council measures the effectiveness of these initiatives by monitoring the number of rejected loads at the recycling processor and by sampling accepted loads to determine contamination rates.
While the council has made strides in improving recycling performance, contamination, particularly in communal properties, continues to hinder progress. The report, Update on Recycling in Brent [https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/documents/s151331/Update%20on%20Recycling%20in%20Brent.pdf], highlighted both successes and ongoing challenges in the borough's efforts to meet ambitious recycling targets.
Recycling Rates on the Up
Brent has seen an upward trend in recycling rates, improving from 24.8% to 33.8%. This progress is attributed to key changes in the council's recycling service, including switching recycling processors and introducing twin-stream fibre recycling from 1 October 2023. The twin-stream recycling involves separating paper and card from other recyclable materials, with blue sacks introduced to facilitate separate collections.
A recent survey indicated that blue bag participation levels were at 80%, and paper and card tonnage had returned to previous levels. The council has also seen a 6.9% improvement in collected food waste compared to the previous financial year, thanks to the roll out of food waste collection from flats and some communal blocks, as well as promotion to kerbside properties.
Brent's recycling rate is on an upward trend, improving from 24.8% to 33.8%. The report compares Brent's recycling rates with neighbouring authorities, noting that Ealing has a very high recycling rate for West London, which is attributed to a comprehensive food waste recycling program.
Contamination Concerns
Despite the positive trends, contamination remains a major challenge. A sharp increase in contaminated waste was observed in October 2023 with the introduction of separate collection of paper and card. While this has steadily decreased, 17.9% of total recycling was still rejected in 2024/25 due to contamination.
The top 6 contaminants found in Brent's recycling, based on data from the recycling processor N+P, are: food waste, textiles, black sacks, nappies, garden waste, and electrical items. Food waste and textiles are the highest by weight, while black sacks are more prevalent visually but lighter.
According to the report, the main issues preventing Brent from achieving higher recycling rates are related to contamination of bins and waste, particularly in communal properties. Chris, who presented the report, noted that Brent has a higher proportion of these types of buildings compared to other West London boroughs, compounding the problem.
The report also noted that collected food waste had seen a 6.9% improvement from the previous financial year, due to the roll out of food waste collection from flats and some communal blocks, and promotion to kerbside properties.
Financial Implications
Low recycling rates and sending waste for energy recovery instead of more useful processing arrangements place a significant cost burden on the council. The report included a recyclates finance summary, noting that while tonnages remained similar, work had been done with customer engagement, education and contract monitoring to achieve higher rebate values. However, rebate values are largely dictated by market material prices, which are out of the council's control.
Addressing the Challenges
The council is implementing several measures to address contamination and improve recycling rates. These include:
- Improving communal recycling infrastructure, such as introducing auto-locking and reverse-hinged recycling bins.
- Introducing indoor kitchen caddies and liners to properties in blocks of flats.
- Targeted communication and engagement campaigns, such as the Monsters contamination campaign, to educate residents about proper recycling practices.
- Working with private housing to tackle waste responsibilities.
The report details a multi-angle approach to tackling contamination, including tagging contaminated bins, visits by waste and recycling officers, and communication with managing agents. However, it also notes that recycling isn't enforceable as legislation
, making enforcement difficult. There are no specific penalties for non-compliance mentioned in the report.
The council is also preparing for the government's 'Simpler Recycling' plans, which will require most households and workplaces to have four containers for residual waste, food waste, paper and card, and other dry recyclable materials. Local authorities are required to collect core recyclable waste streams from all households in England by March 2026, including weekly food waste collections for most homes. Kerbside plastic film collections will need to be introduced by March 2027. Residents will need to separate waste into four streams: residual waste, food waste, paper and card, and other dry recyclables. While Brent is already mainly compliant, arrangements will need to be made for plastic film collections from 2027.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, Brent aims to build on its progress by focusing on optimising food waste recycling and tackling contamination in communal blocks. The council is also exploring potential partnerships with neighbouring boroughs to create joint infrastructure for waste processing.
As Councillor Sheth noted, recycling is incredibly important, not only to help make the planet greener and Brent cleaner, but also to ensure that we can help save some money through it as well.
Further updates on Brent's recycling performance and initiatives are expected in future committee meetings. For more information on recycling in Brent, visit the council website.
