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New recycling rules are coming into force early next year.(Image: PA)<\/p>\nChanges will come into force next yearNew recycling rules are coming into force early next year.(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
A planned shake-up<\/a> of the recycling process in England next year will change in the way rubbish is collected with four bins for all homes. New Simpler Recycling<\/a> rules under the Environment Act 2021<\/a> will roll out in 2026.<\/p>\n The changes come as part of a wider ambition by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to reach a goal of recycling 65% of municipal waste<\/a> by 2035.<\/p>\n Local authorities across the country are required to implement standardized core recycling collections and weekly food recycling for households by March 31, 2026.<\/p>\n The categories of recycling will be separated into four distinct categories:<\/p>\n Households across the country will have to separate paper and card from waste like metal and plastic and dispose of it in a new recycling bin.<\/p>\n Cardboard waste, like cereal boxes, for example, cannot be placed in a bin alongside rubbish like wine bottles or milk cartons under the new measures.<\/p>\n The new measures will also require councils to introduce weekly food waste collections for most homes.<\/p>\n More bins for each household could also be on the agenda, as the overhaul calls for increased separation in the household recycling process.<\/p>\n The government hopes that the simplified guidelines will help households to better understand what can and cannot be recycled.<\/p>\n The scheme is already in effect for UK businesses with 10 or more employees, while micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees have until March 31, 2027.<\/p>\n The Simpler Recycling initiative will work in parallel with a new Deposit Return<\/a> scheme, set to come into force in 2027.<\/p>\n People will be paid to recycle plastic and metal bottles and cans under a new bottle-return scheme.<\/p>\n Members of the public will pay a deposit on drinks bottles, which is then refunded when bottles are turned in for recycling.<\/p>\n\n