One of the most significant services local authorities perform, and residents expect, is the collection of waste. However, the method and the complexity of the way that waste is collected differs from authority to authority.
UK councils are required to run a service which collects recycling and garden waste separate from general waste. Under the legislation, councils are not required to separate the different types of recycling.[1] Different recyclable materials may be collected together if it is not “technically or economically practicable”,[2] although garden and food waste must be collected separately from dry recycling. The Sunak government enacted legislation on 17th May 2024,[3] simplifying UK waste collection in England by collecting all recycling in one bin in all circumstances.[4] After being collected, recycling waste is often separated at material recovery facilities (MRF). This organises the waste into streams of the same recyclable materials, allowing for the materials to be reused.[5] Other waste goes to either compost or landfill, respectively.
Despite being one of the primary services that councils provide, the burden of waste separation is frequently, and to varying degrees, passed on to taxpayers. Council tax data for England in 2024-25 shows that council tax has increased by £106 for the average band D council property, the second largest increase on record. This was an average 5.1 per cent increase in council tax.[6] This follows on from a number of councils effectively declaring bankruptcy including Nottingham city council, Birmingham city council and Woking council. [7],[8],[9] Other councils are also facing financial pressures.[10] At the same time residents have an array of bins and bags they have to sort their rubbish into or risk facing fines.
This note shows how councils often turn one of its most vital roles into an unnecessary burden for residents at a cost to taxpayers.
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Key findings
- Blaenau Gwent, Cotswold and Merthyr Tydfil had the most available bin types with ten bins, five times more than Gosport which only had two.
- In the previous iteration of this paper conducted in 2011,[10] Newcastle-under-Lyme had the most bins with nine. Newcastle-under-Lyme had five bins in 2022-23.
- There were 11 bin types recorded by councils. These were: general waste, dry mixed recycling, food waste, paper and card, garden waste, glass, plastics, batteries, textiles, waste electrical and electronic equipment and coffee pods.
- The highest average collection per resident was Merthyr Tydfil council with eight collected on average per resident. This relates to bins collected rather the types on bins available for collection.
- Councils had an average of four receptacles available for collection in 2022-23.
- 56 councils collected six or more bins available for collection.
- The region with the highest average number of bins available for collection per council was Wales with six. England, Scotland and Northern Ireland had an average of four bins
- The South West was the region within England which contained the highest average number of bins available for collection per council with five. The lowest was the East Midlands which had an average of four bins per council.
- Pembrokeshire had the largest council tax increase for the average band D property between 2012-13 to 2022-23 with an increase of over 67 per cent.[11] They had seven bin receptacles available for collection in 2022-23. These were: general waste bags; a food caddy; a glass box; a paper box; a plastics bag; a cardboard bag; and a garden bin.
- In the UK, Blaenau Gwent residents paid the highest average band D council tax in 2022-23, £2,099 per year. Residents must separate their waste into ten different receptacles. These were: household refuse; food waste; paper; plastics and tins; glass; cardboard; household batteries; textiles; small electrical items; and green waste bags.
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Almost 70 per cent of councils charged for an extra bin service. Most commonly the extra service was for garden waste.
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[1] The National Archives, The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011, www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/988/regulation/13/made, (accessed 23 July 2024).
[2] The National Archives, Environment Act 2021, www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/30/section/57/enacted, (accessed 23 July 2024).
[3] The National Archives, The Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024, www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/639/note/made, (accessed 15 August 2024).
[4] Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Government response, 21 November 2023, www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consistency-in-household-and-business-recycling-in-england/outcome/government-response, (accessed 23 July 2024).
[5] Recycle now, What happens to my recycling?, www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/what-happens-to-my-recycling, (accessed 23 July 2024).
[6] Taxpayers Alliance, TaxPayers’ Alliance responds to new council tax data, 21 March 2024,
www.taxpayersalliance.com/taxpayers_alliance_responds_to_new_council_tax_data, (accessed 18 April 2024).
[7] BBC News, Nottingham City Council declares itself 'bankrupt', 29 November 2023, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-67380096, (accessed 18 April 2024).
[8] BBC News, Bankrupt Birmingham: Why the council went bust, 10 October 2023, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-67053587, (accessed 18 April 2024).
[9] Bob Dale, Bankrupt council’s tax to increase by nearly 10%, BBC News, 5 March 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw0zgd7w9l2o, (accessed 22 April 2024).
[10] Local Government Association, Save local services: Council pressures explained, www.local.gov.uk/about/campaigns/save-local-services/save-local-services-council-pressures-explained, (accessed 18 April 2024).
[11] Taxpayers Alliance, Shocking disparity in number of bins, 17 February 2011, www.taxpayersalliance.com/new_tpa_research_shocking_disparity_in_number_of_bins, (accessed 24 May 2024).
[12] StatsWales, Council tax levels by billing authority and band (£), Welsh Government, March 2024, statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Local-Government/Finance/Council-Tax/Levels/counciltaxlevels-by-billingauthority-band, (accessed 8 July 2024).