BCP area ranked second worst in South West for landfill waste

Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole has been ranked as one of the worst areas in the South West for the amount of waste sent to landfills.

Data from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs shows that BCP sends the second largest amount of waste to landfill in the region.

In the past year, 188,546 tonnes of waste were collected locally, with ten percent going to landfill and 40 percent incinerated. A further 13,377 tonnes of recycling was rejected due to contamination.

Most of the waste came from households, which accounted for 82 percent. On average, 507 kilograms was collected per household. The remaining 13 percent came from non-household sources such as businesses, factories, littering, and fly-tipping.

Nationally, the amount of waste sent to landfill decreased by 22 percent last year. But in BCP, the figure has increased by seven percent over the past five years, rising from 48 percent in 2019 to 55 percent in 2024.

Despite the high landfill figures, BCP’s recycling rate is above the national average, with 45 percent of all waste being recycled.

To address the issue, BCP Council will introduce food waste collections for all households and flats from 31 March 2026. Flats will be provided with communal food waste bins, while households that cannot use the standard bin service will be offered a recycling bag service collected every two weeks.

Businesses will also receive separate bins for food waste and recycling.

From 2027, plastic bags and wrappings will be added to the list of materials collected through kerbside recycling, once upgrades to local recycling facilities are complete.

Residents are being encouraged to help reduce landfill waste by checking what items can be recycled, rinsing containers to prevent contamination, and reusing or donating items rather than throwing them away.