Key bodies have backed the government announcement on waste collection reforms.
Ministers this week announced a four-bin “default requirement” for “most households” from March 2026.
This will see councils pick up food and garden waste from one bin; paper and card from another; and plastic, metal and glass from a third container. General non-recyclable waste will go in a fourth bin.
The government added that councils and other waste collectors would “still have the flexibility to make the best choices to suit local need”.
The Recycling Association chief executive Paul Sanderson said: “This policy update on Simpler Recycling seems like a good compromise to have paper and cardboard separately as default but allowing flexibility where not possible to do that.
“This should help to raise the quality of recyclable materials collected from households and businesses.”
The Confederation of Paper Industries said in a statement that it “welcomed” the announcement.
“These measures, which will support the separate collection of paper and card, represent a significant step forward in improving the quality of paper for recycling,” the body added.
