Households and businesses may have to manage up to seven separate bins for various types of waste under proposed new plans for recycling.
The proposals, expected to be unveiled next month, could mandate all local councils to collect paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, glass, garden waste, and food waste separately.
However, some council leaders have deemed these measures “unworkable”, as they could result in significant expenses.
Conservative MP Bob Blackman, a member of the parliamentary committee for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, also voiced his disapproval of the idea.
‘It would be of great concern if we end up with huge numbers of types of bins,’ he told the Telegraph.
‘That would be madness. In urban environments, people already have four sets of bins and to go beyond that would be absolutely crazy.’
The aim is to achieve greater uniformity in waste management across the United Kingdom, in the hope of addressing the differences in recycling rates among various local governing bodies.
Nevertheless, individual councils can attempt to opt out of the national scheme if they can demonstrate that it is “not technically or economically feasible.”
Despite the public’s efforts to carefully separate and dispose of their garbage, certain areas of London process as little as 20% of recyclable waste as intended.
The Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, was scheduled to release the government’s reaction to a consultation on waste uniformity from 2021 on March 27th ; however, this was called off.
A Defra spokesman said: ‘We want to make recycling easier and ensure that there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will help increase recycled material in the products we buy and boost a growing UK recycling industry.
‘We have held a public consultation on the proposed changes and will announce further details shortly.’