PUTTING the wrong materials into a recycling bin is one of the major challenges costing the county £1.2 million a year.

For Recycling Week, which runs until Sunday, Test Valley Borough Council and environmental group Test Valley Friends of the Earth have teamed up to show why recycling matters, and positive changes to make to how you do it.

Currently contamination of recyclable materials with non-recyclables is a “big problem” across Test Valley with a rate of 11.95 per cent, and this is increasing nationwide.

Contaminants can be items such as plastic bags, plastic pots, tubs and trays and plastic wrappings.

Test Valley Friends of the Earth coordinator Lorien Cadier said: “The job to do is reduce the contamination, there is just so much work to do.

“The big job is the supermarkets, we have to go to the source of this. For people to campaign with their local supermarket and shops to not produce too much plastic packaging, reduce single use plastics – people can vote with the money in their purse.

“Test Valley [council] could also expand the number of depots that take plastic food containers.”

“But the big job is with the producers unless we stop it at source we are not going to get anywhere, it’s not for the council to do.”

Currently all black bin rubbish in the borough is burned to produce electricity, while provisions for free food waste and garden waste collection services are off the table due to cost “well beyond any existing budget” at present.

Test Valley’s recycling rate also sits below the national average at 35 per cent, while the UK rate is 45.2 per cent in 2016.

The EU target is to reach a 50 per cent recycling rate by 2020.

A borough council spokesperson said: “We know that our residents are faced with lots of conflicting information, from labels on packaging to what neighbouring authorities collect, and we work hard to address this.

“In Test Valley, residents can recycle five different materials in their brown bins, including paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, aerosols, cans and tins. We raise awareness of this in a variety of ways, including using bin stickers, hangers and tags.

"Our Recycling Stars campaign also focuses on encouraging residents to recycle more and waste less and in addition to kerbside collections, we provide more than 100 local recycling centres across the borough where residents can recycle glass bottles and jars, foil, books, textiles and cartons.”

Test Valley Friends of the Earth has also released a recycling quiz to mark the awareness week.

Go to friendsoftheearth.uk/groups/testvalley/news/Recycling-Week-take-the-quiz-.