Consistency in recycling collections in England

Published on February 16, 2021

We are seeking to amend legislation to requires waste collectors in England to separately collect six recyclable waste streams: plastic, metal, glass, paper and card, food waste (which must be collected weekly from households) and garden waste (households only). The purpose of this is to increase recycling rates, which have plateaued in recent years to around 44/45% for households. The ambition is to increase recycling rates significantly above 50% and towards 65% for household and household-like waste from businesses.

Driving up recycling rates to above 50% will keep resources in circulation longer and consequently reduce the consumption of virgin materials, which represents a more sustainable outcome.