Overview
- Households in England, which shift to the new system on Tuesday, must sort food and garden waste, paper and card, dry recyclables, and residual rubbish into at least four containers.
- Defra has issued an exclusions list, widely reported as 37 items, that bars materials such as Pyrex and drinking glasses, laminated foil pouches, polystyrene, plastics labelled compostable, and tissues or nappies.
- Local authorities warn that incorrect sorting or contaminated recycling could lead to fixed penalty notices of up to £400.
- Implementation will vary by area, with Southampton rolling out weekly food caddies since February and Suffolk councils moving to three‑weekly general waste and weekly food collections from June.
- Early feedback highlights space constraints, smells, pests, and caddy liners failing, and councils advise keeping lids shut, cleaning bins, and following guidance to avoid rejected collections.