How winter makes recycling harder with 40% jump in contamination

New data reveals an extra 5,000 tonnes of waste is sent to landfill or incineration from November to March

Plastic bottles are reviled for polluting the oceans, leaching chemicals into drinks and being a source of microplastics in the human body.

They even cause problems with recycling. When plastic bottles are mixed with cardboard in recycling bins, in the wet winter months the sodden cardboard wraps around the plastic bottles and trays, causing havoc at recycling plants.