A major change is approaching for households in 2026, with a minimum of four bins becoming mandatory for domestic waste and recycling.
Authorities have announced that residents must adapt their recycling practices, whilst local councils have been ordered to revamp their collection systems by March next year.
The Simpler Recycling initiative states that the new standard requirement for most homes and businesses will be four containers.
Officials say this will also eliminate the ‘postcode lottery’ of bin collections across England, where councils gather different materials for recycling, causing bewilderment amongst households.
The proposals specify that the four types of waste container are for:
- residual (non-recyclable) waste
- food waste (mixed with garden waste if appropriate)
- paper and card
- all other dry recyclable materials (plastic, metal and glass)
Every household, including flats, must have the above collected by March 31, 2026. Plastic film packaging (such as crisp packets) and plastic bags will need to be included with plastic recycling from March 31, 2027.
Earlier this year, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Mary Creagh said: “We have set out that every local authority will be required to collect food waste for recycling by 31 March 2026. Commencement regulations named a total of 31 local authorities that were provided with a bespoke transitional arrangement, delaying food waste collection requirements.
“It was deemed that these local authorities needed longer to implement separate food waste collections for households due to barriers presented by long-term residual waste disposal contracts that run beyond 31 March 2026.
“We engaged extensively with affected local authorities. Where the evidence demonstrated that existing long-term waste disposal contracts presented an unavoidable barrier to the introduction of food waste collections by 31 March 2026, transitional arrangements were provided by Defra.
“We will continue to work with local authorities to identify whether they can bring forward food waste collections and the associated benefits before the end of their bespoke transitional arrangement.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs previously outlined items that councils are not required to collect under the new scheme.
Garden waste
Councils are not required to collect:
- bulky waste (including garden furniture and fencing)
- plant pots
- sand
- tea bags or coffee grounds
- animal bedding
- branches and trees over a certain size may have to be cut into smaller pieces to follow local guidance
- sawdust
- plastic
- garden tools or other gardening equipment
- stone, gravel or bricks
Food waste
Councils are not required to collect any plastic packaging or non-packaging items labelled as ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable’, including coffee pods. Food waste caddy liners used to hold food waste can be collected.
Glass
Councils are not required to collect any glass not utilised as packaging. This includes:
- drinking glasses
- glass cookware (such as Pyrex)
- vases
- light bulbs and tubes
- microwave plates
- ceramics, such as crockery or earthenware
- mirrors
- candles
- flat glass
- window glass
Paper and card
- Councils are not required to collect:
- tissue or toilet paper
- food and drinks cartons made of a fibre-based composite (these should be collected in the plastic stream)
- cotton wool or makeup pads
- absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) including nappies, period products and incontinence products
- wet wipes
For more information on the items councils do not collect click here
