Four out of five people in Cornwall think recycling household rubbish is very important, according to the results of a survey by Cornwall Council.

The survey saw 4,404 responses from across Cornwall and from a mix of housing types. The survey was complemented by three focus groups which explored key issues more deeply.

Of those who responded:

91% think it is very important that Cornwall’s environment is protected

82% think recycling household rubbish is very important

77% think that household recycling is fairly or very convenient

Only 3% of respondents said they did not recycle

One in five households throw away ‘quite a lot’ or ‘a reasonable amount’ of food waste

71% said a collection of a wider range of materials would encourage an increase in recycling

One in five people (21%) said they would consider being a volunteer recycling champion for the Council.

Being unable to store the recycling between collections was one of the most cited reasons for not recycling.

Cornwall Council cabinet member Sue James said: ‘The survey results suggest people want to recycle and will do it if it is easy but one size does not fit all.

‘It was clear barriers to recycling included storage, access to collection points and confusion over what can be recycled.

‘This survey has provided us with lots of insight – it supports that people will recycle more if it is easy, that people want to know what happens to materials collected and we need to provide more information on what can and can’t be recycled.’

The results of the survey and focus groups have now been published on the Council website at www.cornwall.gov.uk/recyclingsurvey