As part of the Circular Economy Package, the UK needs to achieve a 65% municipal recycling rate by 2035. There are many new initiatives that governing bodies are introducing over the coming years to reach this goal, including the Plastic Packaging Tax, Extended Producer Responsibility, and the Deposit Return Scheme.
There are also set to be big changes in the household recycling and waste collection schemes. The aim of the new consistency of collection scheme is to bring together local authorities and the waste management industry to increase the quantity and quality of material collected for recycling.
Currently, each council has its own recycling schemes, methods, and strategies to which they adhere to. Whilst the same types of items collected are typically the same, they are often captured in differing ways. Some councils offer mixed recycling same bin collections, whereas others collect each material separately. Less than half of UK councils currently offer food waste collections, and some only offer garden waste recycling for a fee.
By implementing the same waste collections for each council, this will increase the consistency in recycling and will reduce confusion in the materials that can be collected for recycling at kerbside for households and businesses. Following on from the 2019 consultation, this plan details specific policy proposals for increasing consistency in recycling collected from households, businesses, and other organisations.
The new initiative is set to be introduced by DEFRA, following on from their EPR and DRS schemes. One of the key benefits the government is hoping to achieve is increased recycling rates. If recycling is made simpler, with easier and more consistent rules to follow, it will hopefully encourage both businesses and households to recycle more. A study carried out in 2020, saw that many of us in the UK still get confused by recycling and what can be collected, in which bin. And with differing councils currently having their own methods, this only adds further confusion. The aim is that the confusion will be cut, recycling rates increased, and levels of recyclable material being sent to landfills or placed into the incorrect waste receptacles decreased, preventing contamination.
All of these aims are in support of a more circular economy and a more resourceful planet. The more successful our recycling methods become, the less raw material is needed to create new items. Consistent collections will also encourage and increase the reliability of waste collected, all of which is helping to close the loop on recycling, helping us to our 65% municipal recycling rate.