Labour has announced plans to standardise household recycling across England by requiring councils to provide four bins or containers as default, ending the current “Wild West” approach to waste collection.
The move aims to simplify recycling and replace the existing system where some households are required to separate waste into as many as 10 different bins, while others use as few as two.
The new policy will streamline waste collection and aims to improve recycling rates by making the system less confusing for residents.
Under the new rules, councils will be required to provide four specific containers for waste collection.
Under the new rules, councils will be required to provide four specific containers for waste collection
PA
These will include a dedicated bin for non-recyclable waste and another for combined food and garden waste.
Paper and card will have their own bin or bag, while a fourth container will be designated for all other recyclable materials.
The separation of paper and card from general recycling aims to reduce contamination from food and liquids, which can lead to materials being rejected during processing.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the new rules would end the “postcode lottery” of recycling and reduce fly-tipping.
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“After 14 years of Conservative failure, communities face an avalanche of rubbish plaguing our streets and poisoning our rivers and seas,” he said.
“Today we end the fiasco that would force households across the country to have seven bins. This Labour government is ending the Wild West and introducing a streamlined approach to recycling to end the postcode lottery, simplify bin collections and clean up our streets for good.”
A recent survey by the Taxpayers Alliance revealed stark disparities in bin collection across the country.
Three areas – Blaenau Gwent, Cotswold and Merthyr Tydfil – currently require residents to sort waste into 10 different bin types.
In contrast, Gosport residents manage with just two bins.
More than 50 councils currently operate systems with six or more bins for collection.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the new rules would end the ‘postcode lottery’ of recycling and reduce fly-tipping
PA
A recent survey by the Taxpayers Alliance revealed stark disparities in bin collection across the country
PA
The national average stands at four bins per household, matching Labour’s new proposed standard.
The changes follow Rishi Sunak’s scrapping of an earlier Conservative policy that would have required up to seven separate containers.
Local councils have expressed concerns about the requirement to separate paper and cardboard waste, warning it will need additional resources.
Adam Hug, the Local Government Association’s environment spokesman, gave a cautious welcome to the plan while highlighting potential challenges.
“We are pleased the government has listened and decided to allow councils to return some of the flexibility in how to collect waste from people’s homes,” he said.
He stressed the importance of local flexibility where additional bins might not be practical due to space constraints.
Hug also called for a one-year delay to new business recycling rules, citing low awareness and readiness.