Recycling food containers and related items. Why is it so difficult?

We are all, by-and-large, better than ever before about recycling our household waste. But why is it so difficult to recycle many items, especially food-related items?

The following, in general, cannot, as yet, be recycled:-

Grease- or Oil-Soaked Cardboard. (Even vegetable oils)

Lids and caps from many bottles.

Ceramic or Oven-Safe Serving Pieces.

Styrofoam or Polystyrene Containers.

Plastic Utensils.

Plastic Bags and Plastic Wrap. (Although these can be recycled at some supermarkets, but not at home, for some reason.)

Waxed Paper and Cartons.

Bubble wrap, in some areas.

This BBC link explains in more detail. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220525-what-can-and-cant-be-recycled.

The problem is that in order to know what plastics can or cannot be recycled ( PETE/PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS and other plastics) it seems you require a BSc degree in plastics technology and recycling.

Why can't the authorities just take all waste and then have trained workers sort them out and identify what can and cannot be recycled at a central recycling/waste depot? Too expensive? But if recycling and our environment is really as important as the government and local authorities and green pressure groups claim, surely it would be worth paying more money to address the issues of proper recycling?

As it is at our homes we have food recycling bins, green bins, bins for paper (separate bins for card in some areas) bins for plastics and glass and general recycling, containers for batteries, etc, all of which take up room in people's gardens, yards, patios, garages, pathways, etc.

So we can have up to six or seven different boxes, bags, bins for recycling at our properties.

The following site also has some useful information https://wrap.org.uk.

(Image courtesy Image by S K from Pixabay)