Consistency in Recycling Collections in England

In February 2019, DEFRA published a consultation proposing greater consistency in household and business recycling collections in England. This consultation was launched in parallel with consultations on Extended Producer Responsibility and the implementation of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in England, in conjunction with the devolved administration in Wales and DAERA in Northern Ireland.

First Stage Consultation

The proposal was made with the intention of improving recycling rates from households and businesses that produce similar waste. With regard to households the consultation was for all waste collection authorities to:

• collect the same core set of dry recyclable materials from households
• have separate weekly food waste collections from households

Other measures in the consultation included:

• whether waste collection authorities should provide a free garden waste collection service for households with gardens
• how to achieve greater separation of dry materials in collections, especially paper and glass to improve the quality of dry recyclable collected from households
• whether statutory guidance on minimum service standards for waste and recycling services should be introduced
• how to develop non-binding performance indicators to support local authorities to deliver high quality and quantity in recycling and waste management
• how to support joint working between local authorities on waste; alternatives to weight-based targets; and having standardised bin colours for waste and recycling

With regard to businesses, consulting was for:

• all affected businesses and organisations to segregate dry recyclable materials from residual waste so that these can be collected for recycling
• all affected businesses and organisations to separate their food waste to be collected and recycled or composted
• measures to reduce costs of waste collection for businesses and organisations
• measures to improve the availability of data and information on business waste and recycling

Second Stage consultation

The first stage consultation completed in May 2019, with a second stage commencing in May 2021 for completion by July 2021.

The second stage sought to build on the earlier consultation and seek further detail from consultees, including how the Environment Bill powers should be used and how the proposed policies should be implemented.

Consultation Response

It was initially believed the government would publish its responses to the consultations by the end of October 2021, however due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the deputy director for resources and waste at DEFRA said at RWM the way forward will be published "later this year or early next" . In March 2022 it was reported that it is now likely to be delayed beyond early May 2022.