Britons have fallen out of love with recycling due to lack of trust, mixed messages and confusion, according to a new survey.

A third (30%) say they only recycle occasionally, one in five (21%) have given up on sorting their rubbish into the correct bins because they don’t believe it gets recycled, 19% say the rules are too confusing and a whopping 61% are guilty of secretly throwing recyclable materials into the general waste.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, sustainable waste management experts Biffa have teamed up with John Lewis and British homewear brand ReBorn to launch Love Recycling, a playful, myth‑busting campaign designed to help households fall back in love with recycling.

“Recycling should be a love story, not a source of stress,” said Steve Cole, Managing Director Biffa Municipal,“We’re hoping Love Recycling helps people fall back in love with doing the right thing – especially as everyone will be able to recycle their food waste for it to be collected from kerbside by their local council this April. It’s been brilliant working with John Lewis and ReBorn to turn a serious subject into something fun, eye‑catching and genuinely useful.”

According to new Censuswide research commissioned for the Love Recycling campaign:

  • Brits describe their relationship with recycling as “complicated”, “confusing” and “hard work”
  • Many feel guilty when they’re not sure whether something can be recycled
  • Food waste is one of the most misunderstood areas – despite major changes coming in April

Yet the love is still there. Most households want to recycle more – they just don’t always know how.

The survey revealed that the biggest recycling ick is washing out yogurt pots with 25% of respondents saying that’s their biggest hate. Around 16% admitted to not even knowing when bin day is and a quarter say they are the biggest recycling rebel in their household.

But 35% say that they would be more inspired to recycle if there were rewards and a third (29%) said they would do more if there was clarity around what can be recycled.

Almost a third (26%) said they would recycle if their favourite celebrity told them to, with a quarter (25%) saying if recycling was a celebrity duo it would be fun and reliable Ant &  Dec with David and Victoria Beckham gaining 14 % of the vote.

Another third (28%) admit the most romantic thing recycling can do for them is to help the planet with a quarter (24%) saying what turns them on is saving money through recycling.

Leading the charge is ReBorn, a company founded in the UK, that uses plastic waste which is both collected by Biffa to create beautifully designed, practical homewares.

To mark Love Recycling, and ahead of the Simpler Recycling legislation for households coming into force this April, which means all households must have weekly food waste collection to reduce the food waste in landfill  – ReBorn is launching a limited edition food waste bin, designed to make food waste recycling simple, stylish and satisfying.

The stylish red Biffa-branded food waste bin will be sold in John Lewis stores and online to encourage households to recycle their food waste, retailing at £29.99.

From peelings to plate scrapings, the bin is designed to help households get ready for the moment when every home in England will be able to recycle food waste at the kerbside.

According to WRAP, the average UK household throws away food worth around £250 per person every year, totalling over £17 billion annually.

When recycled instead of sent to landfill, food waste produces:

  • Renewable energy
  • Biofertiliser for British farms
  • Lower carbon emissions – cutting methane from landfill

WRAP estimates household food waste makes up around 60% of the UK’s total food waste, making homes the biggest place consumers can make a difference.

The Love Recycling campaign is also tackling the biggest recycling myths head‑on:

  • “It all ends up in landfill anyway” – it doesn’t
  • “Nothing really gets recycled”- it does – in this case into sleek household items
  • “Food waste smells” – properly stored food waste reduces bin odours
  • “Recycling doesn’t really make a difference” – it cuts carbon, saves resources and creates energy

Simple changes at home can have a big collective impact.

The campaign will be launched with a pop-up flower stall outside the Oxford Street John Lewis store on Friday 13th February – with sustainable roses filling the ReBorn food waste bins and sharing tips to help shoppers woo their waste habits back into line.

handing out romantic recycling‑themed goodies and sharing tips to help shoppers woo their waste habits back into line.

Brian Walmsley, CEO & Founder of ReBorn, said: “This partnership with Biffa and John Lewis shows what a circular economy can look like in practice – waste collected in the UK, recycled in the UK, and turned into products designed and made here. Our goal at ReBorn is to make sustainable choices simple, useful and stylish in everyday life, and food waste is one of the most powerful places households can make a real difference.”

With Valentine’s Day around the corner and new recycling rules on the way, the Love Recycling campaign is inviting households to rekindle their relationship with the bin – one peel, pot and packaging item at a time.

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