Simpler Recycling or Greater Confusion? The Quest for Clarity in Recycling
A holiday experience highlighted the confusion and frustration around recycling rules, underscoring the need for clearer, more standardised recycling practices. The recent shift to “Simpler Recycling” in the UK aims to streamline recycling processes but faces criticism for potentially increasing contamination and costs, reflecting broader issues in waste management policy.
Encountering Recycling Confusion
My wife and I recently took a break at a holiday cottage, and it was delightful. It was refreshing to escape the daily grind, shift my mindset away from work, and appreciate the beautiful world we are responsible for stewarding.
I successfully avoided work mode until the very end of our stay when I took our recyclables to the property’s garage, where the recycling bins were located. Food waste in this bin, good. Glass in that one, fine. Card and paper there, sorted. Plastic tray. Ah, a problem. The sign above the bin read, “Plastic Bottles and Aluminium Cans.”
Plastic bottles, yes, but what about plastic trays? One tray was from sliced meat from the Co-op and had a paper label on it. Is that allowed? What about the plastic container the mushrooms were in? That’s a different type of plastic altogether. And I recall hearing that trays from ready meals can’t go in. Not that we had ready meals, of course; we prefer cooking from scratch, even if it involves using sauces from jars. But none of these plastic trays were bottles, and the label above the bin clearly stated ‘Plastic Bottles.’ Even though the bottles and trays were made from the same polymer, the shape of the item apparently mattered. Bottle-shaped PET was acceptable, tray-shaped PET was not. This didn’t seem right, but I didn’t want to risk contaminating the whole lorry-load by adding my trays, so I kept them.
And metal cans. But what about the foil tray from the pie? Okay, it wasn’t exactly cooking from scratch, but we were on holiday! An aluminium can was okay, but not a foil tray? What about the clean foil we used for our sandwiches on a day out? My instincts told me to drop these metal items into the same container that accepted cans, drawing on my years of experience in the resource-processing sector. “It’ll all go to a MRF,” my work-head insisted, even though I was supposed to be on holiday. “There will be magnets, wind sifters, and NIR optical sorters, or at the very least, a line of skilled personnel sorting everything. Just put them in the bin labelled ‘Bottles and Cans.'”
“No!” my dutiful citizen side objected. “You can’t do that! Read the sign – plastic bottles and aluminium cans. Wait, didn’t I just put a tin can in there from some soup? I’ll need to take that out because it’s not aluminium!”
In the end, hardly anything went into the official recycling bins at the cottage. I took the washed plastic trays, Tetra Pak cartons, steel cans, and tin foil home with me, much to my wife’s bemusement. We didn’t discuss it on the drive home; that would have been too much like talking about work.
Policy Shift to ‘Simpler Recycling’
The much-heralded ‘Simpler Recycling’ reforms aim to enable local authorities and other waste collectors to “move forward and ensure a common-sense approach that is both easy and effective for everyone.” These reforms dictate the number of bins to be used for collecting all six recyclable waste streams (metal, glass, plastic, paper, card, and food waste) and the frequency of collections. However, concerns have arisen regarding the stipulation of a fortnightly general waste collection. “A requirement for councils to provide minimum fortnightly residual waste collections feels like a backward step,” says John Scanlan, CEO of Suez Recycling and Recovery. Additionally, there are worries about the extra costs councils will incur due to increased collections. Sam Chapman-Allen, Chair of the District Councils’ Network, estimates that nearly £1 million in new waste vehicles would be required by each district council. There is also apprehension about contamination caused by commingled collections, particularly affecting the quality of paper and board. Phil Fenton of the Confederation of Paper Industries warns, “Simpler recycling will increase contamination, drive up processing costs, deter investment, and result in the loss of material.”
There is certainly a need for simpler recycling, which likely requires a societal shift towards standardised materials, consistent labelling, clear instructions, and well-publicised information campaigns. If the implementation of the planned reforms results in higher contamination levels of paper and cardboard, or causes confusion similar to my holiday cottage experience, it will be a missed opportunity.
Ironically, divergence has entered our current system because some councils have successfully trialled new methods that have improved recyclate quality or reduced residual waste volumes. Imposing a ‘median’ approach on everyone seems like a retrograde step, as it could negatively impact the progress some councils have made.
Achieving Coherent Policy Making
In September 2023, following a press conference by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the former policy of ‘Consistency In Recycling’ was abruptly rebranded as ‘Simpler Recycling’. The previous policy focused on the collection of clean, segregated materials in a consistent manner nationwide. In contrast, the new approach shifted towards a more commingled system, potentially increasing contamination, deteriorating the quality of recyclates, and causing further confusion. Sunak praised the change during his press conference, claiming credit for scrapping plans for each household to have seven wheelie bins, despite no such policy ever being proposed or implemented. Alongside the high-profile criticism of other net-zero initiatives, this sudden shift in direction suggested political opportunism rather than conviction-based leadership.
Simpler recycling will result from coherent policymaking. Achieving consistency requires politicians to recognise the need to transition towards a circular economy, prioritising reduction as the primary goal. This should be followed by bold investments in reuse opportunities and a clear-headed review of strategies to maximise the collection and recycling of a defined set of materials. Local authorities must have the autonomy to implement a framework that produces the best outcomes in their specific contexts. The number of bins, their sizes, and the collection frequency will vary between densely-packed, high-rise urban areas and rural settings.
Conclusion
The same suite of materials should be collected universally; however, the delivery model cannot be one-size-fits-all. A clearly defined strategy is necessary – one that is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), communicated effectively, pursued with conviction, and supported by local authorities, industry, and consumers. This strategy should be properly costed and funded to ensure the best possible outcomes for both people and the planet.
Clarity and conviction are desperately needed in resource management, with an overarching vision. The chaos surrounding net zero policies, the populist shift to ‘Simpler Recycling,’ the debacle of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and the turmoil of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) give the unmistakable impression of an administration lacking a clear goal beyond re-election, let alone the most effective way to achieve it. Until this dilemma is resolved at the top, we will continue to face situations like my holiday cottage experience, where consumers and citizens remain confused about whether plastic trays can be recycled.