Households in England are being reminded that they could face fines of up to £400 for putting the wrong items into their bins. New waste rules, which came into force on March 31 this year, require bin collectors to separately collect food and garden waste, paper and card, all other dry recyclables, and general rubbish. Under the Simpler Recycling scheme, certain items that may appear to fit into these categories are strictly banned from recycling bins, leaving residents at risk of penalties reaching £400.
What the Simpler Recycling scheme says
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs explained the purpose of the new rules before the change. It said: "We will make recycling easier: citizens will be able to recycle the same materials across England, whether at home, work or school, and will no longer need to check what is accepted for recycling in their local area. A universal standard will ensure that everything that can be collected for household recycling is collected in every region. Simpler Recycling will also end the 'postcode lottery' of bin collections in England, whereby councils collect different materials for recycling, causing confusion for households."
Items banned from bins
The list of items that residents must not place into their bins includes glass items such as candles, drinking glasses, flat glass, glass cookware (such as Pyrex), light bulbs and tubes, microwave plates, mirrors, vases, window glass, and ceramics such as crockery or earthenware.
In the metal category, banned items include laminated foil like pet food pouches and coffee pouches, electrical items and batteries, general kitchenware like cutlery, pots and pans, kettles, irons, pipes, and metal packaging that has contained white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze.
Plastic, paper and other restricted items
For plastic, residents must not put any plastic packaging or non-packaging items labelled as 'compostable' or 'biodegradable', including coffee pods, plastic bottles that have contained white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze, bulky rigid plastics such as garden furniture, bins and plastic toys, polystyrene packaging such as packing beads, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packaging.
Paper and card restrictions include food and drinks cartons made of a fibre-based composite, absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) including nappies, period products and incontinence products, cotton wool or makeup pads, tissue or toilet paper, and wet wipes.
For food waste, the banned items include plastic packaging or non-packaging items labelled as 'compostable' or 'biodegradable', including coffee pods. Garden waste restrictions cover animal bedding, bulky waste (including garden furniture and fencing), garden tools or other gardening equipment, plant pots, plastics, sand, sawdust, stone, gravel or bricks, tea bags or coffee grounds. Branches and trees over a certain size may have to be cut into smaller pieces to follow local guidance.
