‘Mad’ new recycling plans could force every UK household to have SEVEN different waste bins from next month
- The proposed changes could cost councils across the UK millions of pounds
New waste plans that could see UK households have as many as seven bins to comply with recycling laws have been blasted as ‘madness’ by MP’s with councils warning the new ‘unworkable’ scheme could cost millions of pounds to enact.
Under the new plans which are set to be announced in mid April, councils would be required to individually collect paper, cardboard, metal, plastic and glass as well as garden and food waste.
This would in theory mean some households could have seven waste receptacles in what has been described as a ‘national bin service.’
The proposed change in practise has been brought about by a government consultation on household and business recycling with Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey due to publish her report next month.
Under proposed plans some Brits could have up to seven different bins to look after
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey due to publish her report next month
The changes are being made to increase the consistency of waste recycling across the country due to disparity in the rates under different local authorities.
In order to be exempt from some of the changes, councils would have to demonstrate that it is ‘not technically or economically practicable’ to collect different forms of recycling waste separately.
Another get out clause would be that they are able to demonstrate there would be no ‘significant environmental benefit in doing so’.
‘Proposals will cost councils over £465million per year’
A District Councils’ Network spokesperson said: ‘DCN remain concerned about proposed reforms to waste services, and their potential to reduce local freedom to control services that work in the best way for our communities.
‘Our member councils will work hard to improve services and up recycling rates, but need discretion over how that can happen most effectively. The needs of a rural sparsely populated area will differ greatly from an urban centre with a high concentration of flats.
‘If authorities can provide an efficient and environmentally friendly collection service using a method that works for them then they should be easily able to do so.
‘We also continue to call for urgent clarity on how the proposed reforms to the country’s waste collection services will go forward. The continued delay causes serious concern about implementing the changes, as councils will have to rush to carry out huge procurement exercises within a really short timeframe, in what will be the largest change to waste services in living memory.
‘There still remains some questions on the overall environmental benefit of some of the proposals. If the amount of material sent for recycling reduces, or only increases slightly then purchasing a large number of additional vehicles to take to our roads – many of which will increase carbon emissions, at least in the short term – does not make sense.
‘It should also be remembered that household waste equates to less than 15% of the UK’s total waste generation. What’s needed now is a truly whole-system approach that focusses on reducing waste at all its sources and influencing consumer behaviour, rather than concentrating on collection methods.
‘Instead we have what’s expected to be extremely costly proposals for waste authorities. DCN have previously commissioned research which estimated proposals will cost over £465million per year for the first seven years of implementation, just within England; this rises to £680million if plans to offer free garden waste collection to all remain.
‘We therefore hope to work with Government to implement changes that continue to increase recycling rates, as many council are already striving to do, but which are implemented carefully and strategically with as much local discretion as possible – allowing for this to be as cost-effective as possible and work for our local communities.’
Councils have warned that the plans to introduce consistent waste collection policies across England could prove unworkable with the District Council’s Network estimating that implementing recycling changes will cost councils almost half-a-billion pounds a year for seven years.
Opposing the proposed changes in 2021, the DCN claimed that analysis carried out ‘estimated that the consistency changes proposed would increase annual service costs for districts in England by over £400 million when additional capital and running costs were averaged over seven years; this figure rises to almost £680 million if all English collection authorities are included.’
They also stressed that their figures ‘do not include costs of delivering new waste receptacles, providing additional depots, communications to the public about changes, nor contractual or training costs’ with the true ongoing costs of the proposals likely to be will be ‘very high.’
Peter Fleming, the Conservative leader of Sevenoaks District Council in Kent, said the reforms would mean more bin lorries on the roads and do nothing to encourage household waste reduction through behavioural change.
‘The idea that standardisation – a national bin service – is the way forward makes absolutely no sense,’ he told the BBC.
Waste management is largely a devolved matter in the UK, with the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland setting their own policies.
At the moment, councils in England have discretion over how and when waste is collected from households and businesses.
But last year, the government passed a new law that required a consistent set of recyclable waste materials to be collected separately from all households and businesses.
The Environment Act, which became law in 2021, also requires that food waste collection must take place at least once a week.
The government also wants councils to collect garden waste for free, but give them the right to charge for this beyond the basic service.
However there has been backlash from within the Conservative party over the changes with Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East and member of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities parliamentary committee criticising the decision.
Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: ‘It would be of great concern if we end up with huge numbers of types of bins.
‘That would be madness. In urban environments, people already have four sets of bins and to go beyond that would be absolutely crazy.’
The paper reports that a source at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has tried to ease concerns over the new policies and insisted that is very unlikely anyone will need seven bins.
They claim that should councils complete a written assessment they would be able to collect recycling waste from one bin and separate it at a depot with the practise of commingled recycling (collecting recycling in one bag) would continue.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: ‘We want to make recycling easier and ensure that there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England.
‘This will help increase recycled material in the products we buy and boost a growing UK recycling industry.
‘We have held a public consultation on the proposed changes and will announce further details shortly.’
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