Recycling in urban areas

Overcoming the challenges of recycling in urban areas

Increasing recycling in urban areas, particularly from flats, is difficult and challenging.

WRAP has tested a number of interventions with local authorities which are designed to increase the capture of recycling from flats and from houses with multiple occupancies. Our research into improving recycling rates in urban areas is ongoing. Explore our key reports below.

Key urban recycling reports and guidance

  • Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs): Barriers to improving recycling

  • Increasing recycling in urban areas

Sharing a house, sharing responsibility: Recycling in HMOs

Webinar

In this webinar, Cathy Cook from LWARB joined WRAP’s Debbie Slater to talk about the topic of HMOs. Key areas included:

  • An overview of Ethnographic research, specific to HMOs, recently carried out in London.
  • What it is like to live in an HMO and how the barriers to recycle compare with those of ordinary domestic kerbside properties and purpose-built flats.
  • How much of a challenge HMOs really are and what opportunities there are to improve recycling.
  • Targeting individuals, households and landlords to achieve behaviour change in HMOs.