A load of rubbish?

The previous government said recycling was confusing and announced plans to simplify collections across the country. However, Labour’s manifesto barely mentioned it. So where are we now?

Every week, bin day inevitably rolls around. Love it or hate it, sorting out different types of waste has become a routine for every household across the UK. 

This is partially down to a push to reduce plastic and cardboard waste, as well as the general public’s awareness of the devastating effects not recycling will have on the environment. 

Three years ago, the previous government outlined its goal of recycling – setting the target for 65 per cent of all household waste to be recycled by 2035 – with no more than 10 per cent of this waste ending up in landfill. 

Greenmatch found that the recycling rate of household waste in the UK has gradually increased over the years, reaching around 45 per cent. 

With campaigns such as Let’s Go Zero teaching the next generation the importance of looking after the planet, do households right now understand the recycling rules? 

One bin to rule them all 

In May, the previous government announced that they would be introducing “simpler bin collections”. However, no timeline was set in place and it remains unclear whether the plans will continue under the new government.

Then recycling minister Robbie Moore said: “We all want to do our bit to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill – but a patchwork of different bin collections across England means it can be hard to know what your council will accept. 

“Our plans for Simpler Recycling will end that confusion: ensuring that the same set of materials will be collected regardless of where you live.” 

The approach included plans for the same materials to be collected from homes, workplaces and schools in a bid to end confusion over recycling systems. 

There were plans for councils to be able to collect plastic, metal, glass, paper and card in one bin in all circumstances. Similarly, food and garden waste would have been allowed to be co-collected. 

Similar measures would have applied to non-household municipal premises, including businesses, hospitals, schools and universities, places of worship, penal institutes, charity shops, hostels and public meeting places. 

The Labour party manifesto was criticised for not putting enough attention on waste and recycling. A short snippet mentioned: “Labour is committed to reducing waste by moving to a circular economy,” but it did not mention recycling.

How many people find recycling confusing? 

The reason the previous was government wanted to introduce these rules was due to what they saw as complexity for councils and other waste collectors, and to ensure they retain the flexibility to collect recyclable waste in the most appropriate way for their local areas. 

As well as this, they introduced it with the aim that people will no longer have to check what their specific council will accept for recycling. 

A survey from Robinsons in 2022 found that as many as eight in 10 adults in the UK still failed to recycle simple items like cardboard, plastic and food. 

It also said that more than four in 10 (42 per cent) felt there are so many “misconceptions and myths” around recycling, they probably don’t do it properly and still find it confusing. 

The same number of respondents said they break down their cardboard boxes for pick-up, and almost 60 per cent didn’t think to put paper anywhere other than their general waste bin. 

Recycling around the world 

Globally, the UK does pretty well in terms of their household recycling rates. Wales was recently named the second best recycling nation in the world, behind Austria. Northern Ireland is ranked ninth, England 11th and Scotland 15th among the 48 countries included in the comparison.

While the UK is currently on the right track and doing well in comparison with the rest of the world, it is clear there is still a long way to go to ensure that everything that can be recycled is. It remains to be seen what policies and incentives the new government will put in place.