Quarter of households put wrong waste into recycling bin, survey finds

Repak chief executive Zoe Kavanagh said that contaminated items that end up in recycling bins, such as food-soiled containers, wet paper, or mixed materials, can result in the rejection of entire loads. File picture: Denis Minihane

Irish households are routinely sabotaging their own efforts to recycle by putting the wrong waste in the green bin, a new survey has found.

The research for non-profit group Repak found that one third of people were unaware that just one dirty bottle, tin or container can contaminate a whole recycling bin.