New bin rules will come into force across England from March 2026
A major overhaul is on the horizon for English households next year, with a mandatory minimum of four separate bins needed for rubbish and recycling. Government officials have confirmed residents will be forced to change how they sort their waste, with town halls ordered to transform their collection services by March next year.
Under the Simpler Recycling initiative, the new baseline requirement for most homes and businesses will be four separate containers. When the programme was unveiled, ministers said it would also eliminate the ‘postcode lottery’ of bin collections across England, where councils gather different materials for recycling, causing widespread bewilderment amongst residents.
The proposals specify that the four categories 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 these collections in place by March 31, 2026. Flexible plastic packaging (such as crisp packets) and carrier bags will need to be added to plastic recycling from March 31, 2027.
Earlier this year, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Mary Creagh addressed a parliamentary written question, saying: “We have set out that every local authority will be required to collect food waste for recycling by March 31, 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 March 31, 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 March 31, 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.”
Earlier this year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set out which items councils aren’t obliged to collect under the new scheme.
Glass
Councils aren’t required to collect any glass that isn’t used as packaging. This includes:
- vases
- drinking glasses
- glass cookware (such as Pyrex)
- light bulbs and tubes
- ceramics, such as crockery or earthenware
- microwave plates
- candles
- mirrors
- flat glass
- window glass
Paper and card
Councils aren’t required to collect:
- food and drinks cartons made of a fibre-based composite (these should be collected in the plastic stream)
- cotton wool or makeup pads
- tissue or toilet paper
- wet wipes
- absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) including nappies, period products and incontinence products
Food waste
Councils aren’t 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.
Garden waste
Councils aren’t required to collect:
- bulky waste (including garden furniture and fencing)
- tea bags or coffee grounds
- plant pots
- sand
- animal bedding
- plastic
- branches and trees over a certain size may have to be cut into smaller pieces to follow local guidance
- sawdust
- stone, gravel or bricks
- garden tools or other gardening equipment
For more information on the items councils don’t collect click here. For more information on the Simpler Recycling project click here
