Consistency in Recycling Collections in England

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Revision as of 13:19, 16 June 2022 by BabarKing (talk | contribs) (Update on timescale)

In February 2019, DEFRA published[1] 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:

With regard to businesses, consulting was for:

Second Stage consultation

The first stage consultation completed in May 2019, with a second stage commencing in May 2021 for completion by July 2021[2].

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" [3]. In March 2022 it was reported[4] that it is now likely to be delayed beyond early May 2022. In June 2022, with Councils still waiting for further details DEFRA confirmed details would be published "soon" [5]

References