Residents across Teesside have been sharing concerns about new recycling changes mandated by central government, with Middlesbrough collections starting end of June and early July
Claire Elliott and Teesside Live readers
00:05, 29 Mar 2026
From the start of March, households will start to receive 240-litre red-lidded bins for free fortnightly collections of paper and cardboard, as well as new food waste recycling caddies(Image: Middlesbrough Council)
Readers have been discussing the roll out of new bins set to appear across Teesside this year. Central government-mandated recycling changes are coming to Middlesbrough over the summer, with other councils rolling out new collections in the coming weeks.
A typical Middlesbrough household will now get a wheelie bin for general waste, another for recyclables like tins and plastics, a new bin for paper and cardboard, food waste caddies, and an optional paid garden waste service.
Residents have mixed reactions. Marton resident Tony Davies received his red-lidded bin and food caddy last week. He plans to use the red bin but not the food caddy, worried the clips might break and attract rats. “Where are we going to put them all?” he asked. Many locals, including retired residents and regular walkers, said there are simply too many bins. Concerns ranged from food waste smells to garden bins filling up in winter when collections stop.
In Stockton, where collections are starting soon, a local micropub owner says they already recycle but is wary of food waste. Another resident said her food caddy liner fell apart, leaving waste to go in the general bin, defeating the purpose. Some, like Pallister Park landlady Veronica Chambers, haven’t received bins yet and worry about space and tenant confusion.
Local politicians have noticed confusion too. Conservative Councillor David Coupe said, “In my ward, people don’t know anything about it.” The new policies follow central government directives rather than local initiative, with the council sending leaflets and bin tags to notify residents ahead of the rollout.
Here’s what readers had to say:
“When are Middlesbrough Council going to publish how all this waste is going to be disposed of? Will it be contracted out, shipped abroad, incinerated, will it produce power or turned into fuel to create power?”“There was a time when recycling was second nature. Now people buy more than they need, make purchases on a whim, discard things when they change their minds, buy clothes just for a season, and order online with excessive packaging. Then they complain when the government asks them to help deal with the huge amount of extra rubbish they’ve created. I don’t see what’s so complicated about putting something in a bin. We’ve been doing it for years. The only difference now is holding a plastic bottle or a piece of cardboard and deciding which bin it goes in.”“I’ve been using them already and it’s a total nightmare. The food bags fall apart before I can even get them to the small caddy in the kitchen. Opened the cupboard this morning and it stank. Transferred everything to the outside caddy, which now stinks too. The rats are going to love this.”“Do they stink more than the old bins where you put your food waste previously?!”“Why’s our town fighting a change that 40 million homes nationwide are either already doing or about to? Everyone else is on board, so why do some of our residents think they’re special?””All my rubbish goes in one bin, I pay over £2000 a year in council tax, I’m not doing the council’s job for them. The other bins they drop off get used for growing potatoes and other veg in. We ALL paid an increase above normal a few years ago on our Council Tax to pay to set up and operate council recycling schemes, now they want us to do the very job we pay them to do? NO.”“I understand why they are doing it since separating paper and cardboard should improve recycling, but it does make things more complicated with extra bins. The food waste caddy seems unnecessary for some households. We plan meals and use leftovers, so we don’t really produce food waste. I support better recycling where it makes sense, but I won’t be using the food caddy as it doesn’t benefit us.”“Some food leftovers are not edible so what do you do with bones, eggshells, used tea bags, fruit and veg peelings? All these are food waste that can go in the food waste bin.”“I suspect those complaining about the new system probably didn’t recycle properly under the old one. It’s really just a slightly more complicated version of what you were already doing, aside from the food waste caddy. If you weren’t doing it before, chances are you’re just moaning for the sake of it.”“I had to stop feeding the local birds with seed as the seed that dropped to the floor encouraged rats so I would imagine the food waste containers will have the same effect.”
Do you think the new bins will actually improve recycling, or are they just creating more hassle and confusion for residents? Have your say in our comments section.