Revealed: the number of bins that each UK council collects

Aug 20 2024

Embargoed: 22:30 Monday, 19th August 2024

UK councils have massive disparities in the number of bins that they ask residents to sort their rubbish into, with some councils having as many as ten and others as few as two.  

The survey by the TaxPayers’ Alliance is an update of research first conducted in 2011, when the council providing the most bins, or receptacles, for organising waste was Newcastle-under-Lyme, with nine.

In total, eleven bin types were recorded from councils across the UK. These are: general waste, dry mixed recycling, food waste, paper and card, garden waste, glass, plastics, batteries, textiles, waste electrical and electronic equipment and coffee pods. Blaenau Gwent, Cotswold and Merthyr Tydfil councils all collect ten bins out of this list. By contrast, Gosport collects just two. Blaenau Gwent also charged the highest average band D council tax rate of any UK council in 2022-23, at £2,099.

The survey also found that almost 70 per cent of councils now charge for an extra bin service, most commonly garden waste.

Under the Environment Act 2021 councils in England have to collect recyclable household waste separately from non-recyclable waste, with recyclable materials defined as glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste and garden waste. This standardised the system to ensure all councils in England accepted the same materials. However, in November 2023 the government announced plans to introduce an exemption to allow councils to require residents to separate materials into just three waste containers - dry recycling, food waste and non-recyclable waste. The TPA are calling on the new government to implement these proposals in full.

In Wales, councils are required to collect paper, metal, plastic and glass separately providing it is technically, environmentally and economically practicable. Similar rules apply in Scotland and in Northern Ireland.

Under UK law, councils can issue fixed penalty notices for households who don’t comply with waste receptacle requirements, although the guidance states that their use should “focus on those who cause genuine harm to the local environment.”

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT AND DATASET

CLICK HERE FOR AN INTERACTIVE MAP

CLICK HERE FOR A PICTURE OF BINS IN FLINTSHIRE COUNCIL



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, 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 than 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. 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.
  • Almost 70 per cent of councils charged for an extra bin service. Most commonly the extra service was for garden waste.



CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT AND DATASET

CLICK HERE FOR AN INTERACTIVE MAP

CLICK HERE FOR A PICTURE OF BINS IN FLINTSHIRE COUNCIL



John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:

"Councils across the UK are placing an enormous burden on households through the often mind-bogglingly complex system of waste separation.

“Bin collections is one of the key services that taxpayers are funding, yet in much of the country it’s the residents themselves responsible for much of the heavy-lifting.

“Recent proposals to simplify the system should be fully enacted across the whole of the United Kingdom.”



TPA spokespeople are available for live and pre-recorded broadcast interviews via 07795 084 113 (no texts)

 

Regional breakdown

 

In the East Midlands

  • The average number of bins is four
  • The local authority in the East Midlands with the most bins is North West Leicestershire with seven

In the East of England

  • The average number of bins is four
  • The local authority in the East of England with the most bins is Chelmsford with nine

In London

  • The average number of bins is four
  • The local authority in London with the most bins is Hounslow with nine

In the North East

  • The average number of bins is four
  • The local authority in the North East with the most bins is Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland with five

In the North West

  • The average number of bins is four
  • The local authority in the North West with the most bins is St Helens with seven

 

In Northern Ireland

  • The average number of bins is four
  • There are five local authorities in Northern Ireland with four bins: Ards and North Down, Belfast City, Derry City and Strabane, Lisburn and Castlereagh and Mid and East Antrim with four

 

In Scotland

  • The average number of bins is four
  • The local authority in Scotland with the most bins is East Lothian with seven

In the South East

  • The average number of bins is five
  • The local authority in the South East with the most bins are Buckinghamshire and Cherwell with eight

In the South West

  • The average number of bins is five
  • The local authority in the South West with the most bins is Cotswold with ten

In Wales 

  • The average number of bins is six
  • The local authority in Wales with the most bins are Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil with ten

In the West Midlands

  • The average number of bins is four
  • The local authority in the West Midlands with the most bins is Wychavon with six

In Yorkshire and the Humber

  • The average number of bins is four
  • The local authority in Yorkshire and the Humber with the most bins is North Lincolnshire with seven



Media contact:

Elliot Keck
Head of Campaigns, TaxPayers' Alliance
[email protected]
24-hour media hotline: 07795 084 113 (no texts)

 

Notes to editors:

  1. Founded in 2004 by Matthew Elliott and Andrew Allum, the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) campaigns to reform taxes and public services, cut waste and speak up for British taxpayers. Find out more at www.taxpayersalliance.com.
  2. TaxPayers' Alliance's advisory council.
  3. The previous edition of this research can be found here.
  4. The TPA at 20 is a series of releases based on previous research produced by the TaxPayers’ Alliance during its 20 year history.
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