Ten bins per household ‘too much to ask’ in quest to recycle more

Almost 70 per cent of councils are now charging homeowners to dispose of garden waste, and some make house-holders sort their rubbish into as many as ten bins, a survey has found.
The research, by the TaxPayers’ Alliance pressure group, found that some councils allowed residents to sort their waste into only two categories — recyclable and non-recyclable — whereas others insisted on it being split further.
Councils had an average of four receptacles for collection last year, but 56 councils had six or more bins.
In particular the survey found a huge increase in councils charging to dispose of garden waste. Less than a decade ago only about 40 per cent of councils charged for the kerbside collection, a figure that has risen to almost 70 per cent as local authorities look for new ways to raise revenue.
In April, Islington council became one of the latest to introduce the scheme, charging households a fixed fee of £75 a year for a fortnightly collection of garden waste. Ealing council charges £96.50 a year, with no collections between December and March. Unlike other recycling, the government does not require councils to collect garden waste.
Under the Environment Act 2021, councils in England have to collect recyclable household waste separately from non-recyclable waste, with recyclable materials defined as glass, metal, plastic, paper and card and food waste. This standardisation of the system is to ensure that all councils in England accepted the same materials, but led to many issuing individual bins for each material.
However, last November the government announced plans for an exemption to allow councils to require residents to separate materials into three containers: dry recycling, food waste and non-recyclable waste. The proposals had not been implemented at the time the election was called and Labour has not said if it will introduce them.
Blaenau Gwent, Cotswold and Merthyr Tydfil had the most bin types, with ten, five times more than Gosport. In Blaenau Gwent residents must separate waste into household refuse; food waste; paper; plastics and tins; glass; cardboard; household batteries; textiles; small electrical items; and green waste bags.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, called for the system to be simplified. “Councils are placing an enormous burden on households through the mind-bogglingly complex system of waste separation,” he said. “Bin collection is one of the key services taxpayers are funding, yet in large parts of the country it’s the residents themselves responsible for much of the heavy-lifting.”
A government spokesman said: “Recent proposals to simplify the system should be fully enacted across … the United Kingdom. We are committed to reducing waste and increasing recycling rates while making this process simpler for the public. Further announcements on delivering the recycling reforms will follow in due course.”