Government has issued an update for UK households who face a major waste shake-up after Christmas and the New Year.
New recycling rules for all homes in England will hand people four bins
New rules mean all England homes will have four different bins in 2026. The Labour Party government has issued an update for UK households who face a major waste shake-up after Christmas and the New Year.
The government said: “For too long, households in England have been presented with a muddled and confusing patchwork of approaches to bin collections. This policy statement sets out the government’s approach to delivering Simpler Recycling in England, subject to spending review outcomes.
“This government inherited legislation that could have required households to have up to 7 bins, placing an unnecessary burden on people and businesses. We are simplifying the rules to make recycling easier for people in England, while stimulating growth and maximising environmental benefits.”
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Its Simpler Recycling plan “will enable consistent, more streamlined collections from all households, businesses and relevant non-domestic premises (such as schools and hospitals)”, it says.
Local authorities and other waste collectors will be able to co-collect some waste streams by default meaning that they will no longer need to collect 7 separate streams.
These common-sense changes will not lead to the proliferation of bins but will ensure the same set of materials are collected everywhere in England.
The new default requirement for most households and workplaces will be 4 containers 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)
The government said: “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.
“We will maintain flexibility for local authorities to deliver these changes in the most appropriate way for their area. We have published guidance for local authorities and other waste collectors to support their decision-making regarding the co-collection of paper and card with other dry recyclable materials.”