The 10 items banned from garden bins under England's new rubbish rules - full list
Ten household items have been banned from garden waste bins under new collection rules across English councils. With hopes of ending the refuse 'postcode lottery', the Government told councils to implement the new standardised system from March 31, with some councils already announcing they will collect black bins less frequently.
The changes are designed to create a more consistent system across England, after years of differences between local authorities on what could and could not be recycled. The Government hopes this will also reduce the amount of contaminated waste, so that less recycling goes to landfill. However, households may have to change what they throw away into garden waste bins. The Government has outlined 10 garden waste items that councils do not need to collect, while previously this varied by region.
Councils do not need to collect:- animal bedding
- bulky waste (including garden furniture and fencing)
- garden tools or other gardening equipment
If households are stuck, they could dispose of garden waste by taking it to their local waste recycling centre or composting certain items, such as coffee grounds.
The 'Simpler recycling' scheme could also see garden waste lingering for much longer than before. While the Government allows councils to decide the frequency for garden waste bins, it recommends that collections are made at least every 36 weeks, which means they could be sitting around for eight to nine months.
There are four waste streams under the new system. Food and garden waste are pooled together, as are paper and card. Other dry recyclable materials such as glass, metal and plastic will have a separate bin, and there will be one bin for residual waste.
Paper and card can be collected with other dry recyclable materials in certain circumstances, which the Government said will allow local authorities to deliver servicesthat work best for their communities.