Changes on the way in Sheffield household waste recycling – chance to have your say
Changes are on the way for getting rid of more plastic household waste in Sheffield following on from new government plans for one-bin recycling.
Under the plans recently announced by recycling minister Robbie Moore, councils will be allowed to collect plastic, metal, glass, paper and card in one bin in all circumstances. Food and garden waste will also be allowed to be co-collected, the minister said.
He described this as a new, common-sense approach to recycling that will make bin day simpler and boost recycling rates for the nation.
In addition to the materials already collected, Sheffield will be required to add plastic pots, tubs and trays, plastic tubes, cartons and plastic films to the range of materials collected for recycling from homes.
Coun Joe Otten, chair of the waste and street scene committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “We are developing plans to make sure that we will also recycle plastic pots, tubs and trays by March 31, 2026, and plastic films by March 31, 2027, in addition to what we already collect in Sheffield.
“There will be a public consultation on recycling later this year.”
Flexibility
Minister Robbie Moore said: “We all want to do our bit to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill but a patchwork of different bin collections across England means it can be hard to know what your council will accept.
“Our plans for Simpler Recycling will end that confusion: ensuring that the same set of materials will be collected regardless of where you live.”
The government said this will reduce complexity for councils and other waste collectors, ensuring they retain the flexibility to collect recyclable waste in the most appropriate way for their area.
At present, Sheffield bin collections run by contractor Veolia see black bins collected fortnightly with recycling collections alternating on the other weeks for brown and blue bins. Brown bins are for glass, cans and plastic bottles and blue bins are for paper and card.
Households pay extra for the fortnightly green bin service for garden waste. To sign up, go online to https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/bins-recycling-services/garden-waste-composting
The council has ruled out bringing in food waste collections that had a trial run in August 2022 because of its contract with Veolia, which runs until 2038.