From this Tuesday, households across England are under new rules for sorting their recycling and waste, aiming to clear up confusion and enable consistent, streamlined collections.
The UK government states that the Simpler Recycling scheme will boost recycling rates and cut the amount of waste sent to landfill or incineration. Under the new rules, waste collectors must by default collect food and garden waste, paper and card, all other dry recyclable materials (glass, metal and plastic, including cartons) and residual waste (non-recyclable waste that is sent for energy recovery or to landfill) separately from households.
However, the government adds that paper and card can be collected with other dry recyclable materials in certain circumstances, allowing local authorities flexibility to deliver services that work best for their communities. It is hoped that simplifying sorting and collections will mean more high-quality recycled material can be processed domestically and used by manufacturers to make new products, supporting the shift to a more circular economy.
Alongside the current Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and upcoming Deposit Return Scheme due to launch in October 2027, the scheme is expected to help make a significant step towards meeting the ambition to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035 and deliver greenhouse gas emissions savings equivalent to £11.8 billion.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh commented:
“To support some local authorities with area-specific delivery challenges, the government is providing additional support, such as agreed transitional arrangements allowing a later implementation date. More than £78 billion has been made available to councils in England this year, which includes funding for councils to roll out weekly food waste collections for all households. This is alongside £340 million to support councils as they prepare for the new collections.”
In related news, this February the German Environment Agency (UBA) and the Central Agency Packaging Register (ZSVR) cleared up common misconceptions around recycling including plastic recycling rates and glass waste collection, as Germany transposed the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation into national law.
The same month, a report from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste named separate waste collection, post-consumer recyclate targets, and extended producer responsibility among the essential factors to improve recyclability for flexible plastics. The report suggests that collection and sorting processes could be improved by introducing segregated waste collection and granular secondary sorting.
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