New waste plans that could see U.K. households have as many as seven bins to comply with recycling laws have been blasted as “madness” by MPs. The Mail has more.
Under the new plans, which are set to be announced in mid-April, all councils across the U.K. would be required to individually collect paper, cardboard, metal, plastic and glass as well as garden and food waste.
This would in theory mean some households could have seven waste receptacles in what has been described as a “national bin service”.
The proposed change has been brought about by a Government consultation on household and business recycling, with Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey due to publish her report next month.
The changes are being made to increase the consistency of waste recycling across the country due to disparity in the rates under different local authorities.
In order to be exempt from some of the changes, councils would have to demonstrate that it is “not technically or economically practicable” to collect different forms of recycling waste separately.
Another get out clause would be that they are able to demonstrate there would be no “significant environmental benefit in doing so”. …
However there has been backlash from within the Conservative party over the changes with Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East and member of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities parliamentary committee criticising the decision.
Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: “It would be of great concern if we end up with huge numbers of types of bins. That would be madness. In urban environments, people already have four sets of bins and to go beyond that would be absolutely crazy.”