BCP Council launches campaign to cut recycling bin contamination
30 September 2026 · By Boroughly editorial — AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
Almost one in five items put out for recycling across the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area cannot actually be processed — and a new council campaign aims to change that.
BCP Council has launched 'Let's Recycle Right', a resident-facing drive to reduce contamination in kerbside recycling bins. The campaign is supported by WRAP, the national waste and resources charity, and focuses on three straightforward habits: putting items in the correct bin, emptying containers before recycling them, and keeping recyclable materials dry.
The stakes are more than environmental. Council analysis shows that contaminated loads cost the authority up to £100,000 a year — money that could otherwise go elsewhere in local services. Despite this, the picture is broadly positive: around 79% of BCP residents already recycle regularly, according to a 2022 waste analysis.
The most common culprits are items placed in the wrong bin and containers that haven't been rinsed out — both easy fixes. If you're unsure which bin a particular material belongs in, BCP's recycling checker on its website lists accepted materials by bin type.
Full details of the campaign, including what can and cannot go in each bin, are available on the BCP Council website.