Nearly one in two households in Britain recycle less than 50 per cent of the waste they produce, according to new figures.
And many blame supermarkets for using too much packaging on products.
The research also found that one in three people believe the amount of waste their household produces has increased over the past three years.
Of those people who have seen a rise in the level of waste they produce, four in ten said it was because their households had become bigger with more under one roof.
Nearly one in two households in Britain recycle less than 50 per cent of the waste they produce, according to new figures
But a third blamed retailers for making special offers tempt them into buying too much.
A poll of more than 1,000 adults by Renewable Energy Waste Solutions (REWS) reveals that 32 per cent of people believe the amount of waste their households have produced over the past three years has generally increased, compared to one in four (25 per cent) who think it has declined.
One in 12 households says that the amount of waste they produce has increased dramatically since 2014.
Experts at REWS said as people produce more waste, landfill sites will struggle to cope and fly-tipping will become more widespread.
Of those households who have seen a rise in the level of waste they produce, 39 per cent said it was because their households had become bigger through, for example, growing families.
However, 33 per cent said it was due to retailers making special offers to encourage people to buy more.
Some 23 per cent said it was because their disposable income had increased so they are buying more, and 14 per cent said it was due to falling prices.
The research also found that one in three people believe the amount of waste their household produces has increased over the past three years
When it comes to recycling, seven per cent say their households recycle less than 10 per cent of the waste they produce.
Some 45 per cent say they recycle less than half of their waste and just one in five think they recycle more than 75 per cent.
When asked why they fail to recycle more, 36 per cent said they did know the enough about what can be recycled, followed by 18 per cent who said it is too difficult and 13 per cent who do not think it will make any difference.
Nearly one in ten Britons said they were too busy to recycle waste.
William McClintock, chairman of REWS, said: ‘Society is producing more waste than ever before.
‘This is fuelling the growing problem of landfill sites closing and more recycling centres turning certain types of waste away as they do not have room to take it.
‘We need to find new ways for managing our waste and one key focus area should be on how we can turn more of it into renewable energy.’