Major bin collection changes affecting every home in England could come soon

A major change to bin collections will affect every home in England following a rule change by the government.

All households will be able to put recyclables in one bin under simpler collection rules that will see the same materials collected at the same time.

The changes were announced by the Conservative government earlier this year and Labour has not announced any intentions to bin off the changes, so they look set to come into effect from 2026.

The new rules will bring an end to the current “confusing patchwork of different approaches” across England, with the new “common-sense” rules allowing people to put plastic, metal, glass, paper and card in one bin.

It means the same materials will be collected from homes, workplaces and schools across the country. Similarly, food and garden waste will also be allowed to be co-collected.

The Environment Department (DEFRA) said that the new measures will mean households no longer have to check which materials their specific council will accept for recycling, and it will also reduce complexity for waste collectors and boost recycling rates.

The changes will apply to every home in England, including flats, Defra said. Similar measures will apply to non-household municipal premises, including businesses, hospitals, schools and universities.

Paul Vanston, CEO of the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN), said: “Householders can take this government announcement as a pledge that, wherever we live across the nation, our local councils will all speedily implement recycling collections of the full range of materials that will match on-pack recycling labels citizens rely on for guidance.

“Those paying the very substantial costs for councils’ local packaging recycling services – especially citizens, brands and retailers – can rightly set high benchmarks of great customer service, superb packaging recycling performance and demonstrable value-for-money being achieved everywhere.”

Under the plans, councils will also be supported to increase the frequency of bin collections to help prevent bins from cluttering streets. 

A minimum backstop will be introduced so that councils will be expected to collect black bin waste at least fortnightly, alongside weekly food waste collections. This will stop the trend – seen outside England – towards three-weekly or four-weekly bin collections, the government said.