Major shake-up to bin collections in England from March – as households face £400 advantageous in the event that they throw these 37 gadgets in recycling
A major shake-up to bin collections has been announced for England from the end of March with households risking fines if they ignore the rules.
The Government has reminded residents of 37 items that must not be placed in recycling bins, with the risk of a £400 penalty.
A new ‘Simpler Recycling’ plan is also set to kick in from March 31, which means all homes across England will now get four bins – for food waste; paper and card; dry recyclables; and general rubbish – meaning there will be a universal standard for rubbish collections.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: ‘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.’
In an appearance on BBC Morning Live last week, legal expert Gary Rycroft said the new rules had been imposed to make it clear there should be, ‘four different types of waste’.
A new ‘Simpler Recycling’ plan is also set to kick in from March 31, which means homes across England will now all get four bins (file image)
Mr Rycroft added: ‘So moving forward, you’re going to have to separate your waste into things that can’t be recycled, then we’ve got food waste, and then we’ve got paper and card, and then we’ve got other dry recycling-glass, plastic, and tin.’
The expert recommended checking in with the relevant local council to clarify any further waste disposal rules.
Glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste and garden waste must now be kept out of recycling collections.
Antony Buchan, head of local authority support at ReLondon, insisted the new scheme would make recycling easier.
A spokesman added the reforms would ‘reduce confusion’.
Kerbside plastic film collections from businesses and relevant non-domestic premises and households is also set to be introduced by March 31, 2027.
