Households have faced new rules on rubbish since end of March, with authorities flagging a list of 37 items you can’t put in your kerbside recycling bins as part of a major overhaul in England. New and simpler rules for recycling came into effect on March 31, as the Government looks to streamline collections across councils.
Clear guidance has been given about what can and can’t go in the recycling bin to avoid previous confusion and contamination issues. Bin collectors will now separately collect food waste, garden waste, all paper and card and other dry recyclables, and general rubbish as standard. The Simpler Recycling scheme, outlined by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) states: “We will make recycling easier: citizens will be able to recycle the same materials across England, whether at home, work or school, and will no longer need to check what is accepted for recycling in their local area.
“A universal standard will ensure that everything that can be collected for household recycling is collected in every region.
“Simpler Recycling will also end the ‘postcode lottery’ of bin collections in England, whereby councils collect different materials for recycling, causing confusion for households,” DEFRA argues.
Not all councils are in line with the new approach yet, with a grace period in place to give local authorities time to become compliant.
The Governent gave guidance for local authorities, identifying 37 examples of items that are not in scope for specific household recycling “streams”, like food waste, or metal recycling, under Simpler Recycling.
It advised residents to check their local authority website to see how these items can be recycled or disposed of at specific recycling points or Household Waste & Recycling centres instead.
Local authorities should provide clear information to households about what can and cannot be recycled in each waste stream, to reduce confusion, the Government has said.
It provided a non-exhaustive list of the sort of materials that council workers do not need to collect under the new approach.
Glass
Any glass not used as packaging won’t be collected, this includes:
- candles
- drinking glasses
- flat glass
- glass cookware (such as Pyrex)
- light bulbs and tubes
- microwave plates
- mirrors
- vases
- window glass
- ceramics, such as crockery or earthenware
Metal
- laminated foil, like pet food pouches and coffee pouches
- electrical items and batteries
- general kitchenware like cutlery, pots and pans
- kettles
- irons
- pipes
- metal packaging that has contained white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze
Plastic
- any plastic packaging or non-packaging items labelled as ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable’, including coffee pods
- plastic bottles that have contained white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze
- bulky rigid plastics such as garden furniture, bins and plastic toys
- polystyrene (expanded and high impact) packaging such as packing beads
- polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packaging
Paper and card
- food and drinks cartons made of a fibre-based composite (these should be collected in the plastic stream)
- absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) including nappies, period products and incontinence products
- cotton wool or makeup pads
- tissue or toilet paper
- wet wipes
Garden waste
- animal bedding
- bulky waste (including garden furniture and fencing)
- garden tools or other gardening equipment
- plant pots
- plastic
- sand
- sawdust
- stone, gravel or bricks
- tea bags or coffee grounds
- branches and trees over a certain size may have to be cut into smaller pieces to follow local guidance
Food waste
Any plastic packaging or non-packaging items labelled as ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable’, including coffee pods won’t be collected.
However, food waste caddy liners used to hold food waste will be collected.