General · 31 March 2026
New bin rules begin, many councils not ready
Many households across England won't receive weekly food waste collections, despite new rules starting. New legislation requires separate collections for food, garden, dry recyclables, and residual waste from March 31, a change called the "biggest shake-up in recycling policy in England in 20 years". An investigation found 79 councils, roughly one in four, were unprepared for the deadline, citing vehicle and funding issues despite over £340m in grants.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs