Frequently Asked Questions What happens to your kerbside recycling?
The statutory requirements for MRFs in England include regular audits by the Environment Agency (EA), who also carry out random checks at the docks before containers are exported and have a strict audit trail which allows the EA to track back the containers at the dock to the facility that has filled them. The paperwork accompanying the load must specify the origin of the material (e.g. the MRF), the broker who has arranged the shipment, details of the facility receiving the container and a confirmation that the producer and receiving facility have a written contract in place.
This evidence is used by the Environment Agency to ensure all materials are exported to appropriately licensed facilities and that the agreed material quality standards are met. MRF operators are required to maintain these records to evidence the movement of material they are handling and ensure they comply with European and UK rules governing how waste is shipped into or out of the country.
The county council is obligated to report the end destinations for all collected materials on a quarterly basis to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The final destinations for any materials sorted by Casepak and sent for reprocessing in the UK are reported. For materials exported outside the UK, the county council is legally required to report the last facility in the UK where the material was treated, and the council also reports final destinations where we have that information.
The tonnages and end destinations details can be found on WasteDataFlow.org, an online waste data reporting system accessible to the public.
Recyclable material is an extremely valuable resource and a competitive marketplace operates worldwide, with different sectors sourcing and purchasing material for a range of reprocessing options.
Material Stream End Products and End Destinations*
The table below gives examples of what your recyclables are turned into and details material end destinations.
Table of materials, end products and end destinations
| Material stream | Comprising | Likely end product | End destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed papers | Office white, envelopes, wrapping paper, phone directories, junk mail & drinks cartons (tetra-paks), newspapers & magazines | Paper packaging | India/Pakistan |
| Cardboard | Corrugated boxes, brown card, coloured card | Cardboard/brown paper packaging | India/Turkey |
| Glass – 0 -50mm | Mixed coloured drink bottles, drink glass & glass food containers | Re-melt for new glass products | UK |
| Steel | Drink cans & food tins | General steel products | UK/ India |
| Aluminium | Cans, aerosols & aluminium foil | Aluminium Ingots | Thailand |
| PET Bottles and Trays | Clear plastic bottles | Plastic pellets for new PET bottles and some clothing | UK |
| HDPE Natural | Milk bottles | New HDPE bottles and film | UK |
| Mixed Plastics | Plastic pots, trays and coloured bottles of PVC, PP and PS grades | Variety of plastic products including film, insulation materials and clothing | UK |
| LDPE/Mixed Films | Low density polyethylene/mixed colour plastic bags | Plastic film | UK |
| Post-sort Residue | Non-recyclable material | Solid Recovered Fuels | UK |
*Please note that not all districts collect all materials listed.
Waste and Recycling Figures 2024/25
The table below shows Leicestershire County Council (LCC), District and Borough Council’s current recycling and waste figures. The figures are for the year 2024/25 and are updated annually.
Note: The following data is verified by the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) at the end of each year. The figures for 2025/26 will be published in 2027 once the figures have been audited by DEFRA.
Table of Leicestershire’s recycling and waste figures 2024/25
| 2024/25 Figures | Leicestershire County Council (LCC) | Blaby | Charnwood | Harborough | Hinckley and Bosworth | Melton | North West Leicestershire (NWLDC) | Oadby and Wigston |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of Household Waste Sent for Reuse, Recycling or Composting | 44.8% | 40.3% | 41.3% | 43.4% | 41.7% | 40.0% | 43.5% | 40.6% |
| Dry Recycling Rate | 24.39% | 21.90% | 22.89% | 23.51% | 20.64% | 21.34% | 18.24% | 24.14% |
| Composting Rate | 20.17% | 18.28% | 18.25% | 19.79% | 20.81% | 18.49% | 25.28% | 16.49% |
| Overall Household Waste Collected (tonnes) | 305,640.74 | 34,489.59 | 59,282.61 | 35,899.18 | 44,440.48 | 21,028.00 | 40,541.57 | 16,481.69 |
| Residual Household Waste Collected per Household (Kg/household) | 526.03 | 459.09 | 537.29 | 452.50 | 490.12 | 502.71 | 466.28 | 398.48 |
| Household Waste Sent to Landfill | 7.92% (24,218.65 tonnes) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Household Waste Sent for Energy Recovery | 41.95% (128,203.83 tonnes) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
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