The UK doesn’t have one standard system of collecting recycling and waste materials. We break down the different types of recycling systems.
Local authorities are responsible for setting up collection systems for their area and have to consider a range of factors, such as existing infrastructure, the nature of local contracts, and budgets. As a result, the number of bins per household, and what they are used for, varies significantly from place to place.
What types of recycling systems are there in the UK?
There are three main types of recycling collection systems in the UK: comingled, two stream and multi stream.
Comingled Systems
The most common recycling collection system found throughout the UK are comingled systems (46% of local authorities) – where all recyclable materials are put into the same bin, usually with another bin for organic waste and refuse. What is in a mixed recycling collection will vary, but can include plastic, glass, paper and card. These materials are taken to a Mixed Recycling Facility (MRF), and then separated by material type. The recycling rate for comingled systems is generally lower than for the other two systems at 41%, as mixing several materials together can contaminate materials that would otherwise be recyclable.
Two-Stream Systems
Two-stream systems are less common (38% of local authorities) but can be found across different areas throughout the UK. Households will generally have four bins in total. This is usually: one bin for refuse, one for organic waste and two for recyclable materials. These two recycling bins usually separate paper and card or glass from the rest of the recyclable materials.
Two-stream systems have a better recycling rate (43%) than comingled systems as they reduce the likelihood of contamination, improve the quality of the materials to be recycled and ease the sorting process.
Multi-Stream Systems
Multi-stream systems are an improvement on the two-stream system and reduce contamination because this system requires households to separate recyclable materials into at least three separate bins. Some local authorities, such as Conwy County Borough Council in Wales, have as many as eleven bins for residents to separate their waste. They have a bin each for: paper and card, glass, plastic and cans/aerosols, textiles, absorbent hygiene products, coffee pods, batteries, mobile phones, food, garden waste and general refuse.
In comparison to England and Scotland, Wales has a more consistent recycling system with a high number of authorities using the multi stream and two-stream systems, versus comingled.
This is driven by mandated recycling targets, and supported by investment into infrastructure. Multi-stream systems feature the highest average recycling rate of all the recycling collection systems (53%) as they drastically reduce issue of contamination.
How many bins do you have to sort your recycling into?
There is no standard number of bins per collection system. Below are the numbers of bins per UK local authority, and their recycling rates.
359 local authorities across the UK were examined.
Most areas across the UK (53%) have three or fewer bins. However, this data clearly shows that areas with four or more bins generally boast better recycling rates, which will mean they send less waste to landfill or incineration and keep materials in use for longer. Research from DS Smith and White Space Strategy has shown that the majority of Brits (63%) are willing to sort their recycling in four or more bins.1
The Bigger Picture: Recycling Rates Across UK Nations and European Comparison
Wales recently reported an impressive recycling rate for 2023/24 of 66.6%, dwarfing the rates of both England and Scotland, who, in their most recent figures, came in at 43.4% and 43.5% respectively.
The UK is also lagging behind European nations, DS Smith’s Wasted Paper report revealed that the UK is ranked 25th out of 30 for its paper and card recycling rates. The research also estimated that, if these trends weren’t reversed, 17.3 million tonnes of paper and cardboard packaging worth £2.8bn was set to end up in landfill or incineration by 2030.
The change that is needed
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra)2 have called for more investment into the UK’s recycling infrastructure to meet the government’s circular economy ambitions.
The way we collect our recycling has a fundamental part to play in what ends up being recycled. It’s a simple fact that the recycling rates are lower when materials are mixed together in bins.
Liz Mallard
Fibre and Sustainability Manager
DS Smith is calling for:
Separate collections of paper and card
A uniform recycling system across the country
Better labelling and consumer education to help improve UK recycling rates
Methodology: The term ‘bins’ refers to any kerbside collection system that local authorities have in place. These can vary in range from kerbside caddies, non-reusable sacks, boxes and wheeled bins.
This is the breakdown of data used to calculate recycling rates by local authority per region:
England - 23/24 data from Defra
Scotland – 2023 data from SEPA
Wales – 23/24 data from WRAP
Northern Ireland –23/24 data from DAERA
WRAP’s Local Authority Portal was used to categorise collection system and number of bins per council. 359 local authorities across the UK were examined. In cases where local authorities had two or more collection systems in place and a variance in the number of bins per household, the dominant collection system and bin number was assigned to this council.
References:
DS Smith Wasted Paper Report. Research was commissioned by DS Smith and carried out by White Space Strategy based on evidence gathered through interviews with 50 experts (policymakers, NGOs, waste management companies, local authorities and other stakeholders) and a consumer surveys with 2,000 adults across the UK. Fieldwork took place in April – May 2023.
Mind the gap: Investment in recycling infrastructure needed to fulfil current policies to see more investment in collection systems and sorting facilities that are proven to increase rates.”
