Government have published a further two consultation responses for the Simpler Recycling scheme policy.
Back in October 2023 Defra published a response to a consultation held in 2021, renaming and outlining the reform of English waste collections systems for household and business. What was previously known as consistent collections, is now known as Simpler Recycling which will enable people to recycle the same items at home, work, or school throughout England. The consultation response outlined a set of materials required to be collected from non-municipal premises by 31st March 2025 and from households the following year. This will help to increase consistency of materials that can and cannot be recycled, consequently reducing confusion for the public and increase recycling rates in a bid towards the Waste and Resources Strategy goal of eliminating avoidable waste by 2050.
Last week on the 9th May 2024 we saw Defra publish another two Simpler Recycling responses further outlining waste collection decisions for England. Some key takeaways from both:
Exemptions and statutory guidance for simpler recycling in England
- Dry recyclables (paper and card, plastic, metal, and glass) can be co-collected in one bin without the need for a written assessment.
- Food and garden waste can also be co-collected in one bin without the need for a written assessment.
- Local authorities will be required to collect residual waste at least every two weeks.
Simpler Recycling in England additional policies
- Builds on the existing list of business and non-domestic premises that will be included such as places of worship, a penal institute and charity shops.
- The digital waste tracking service goes live in April 2025. Its development is ongoing and further user engagement is planned for the coming months, including working with those who have existing IT systems for tracking waste.
Simpler Recycling is extensively interlinked with other packaging and packaging waste reforms currently seen in the UK such as packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) and Recycling Information Obligation. Simpler Recycling will not only support an increased recycling rate supporting pEPR to meet key policy aims, it will also partially determine the definition for packaging recyclability across England.
Find out more!
For more information or expert technical support about pEPR, packaging recyclability, labelling and simpler recycling please get in contact with our dedicated solutions team – solutions@beyond.ly