Kerbside recycling service expands two years early
Residents in Newcastle-under-Lyme can recycle additional types of plastics and cartons at home two years ahead of a legal deadline.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is including “flexible” plastics – loose plastic bags, films and wrappers – and food and drink cartons, such as Tetra Pak, in its borough-wide fortnightly kerbside recycling scheme for the first time from April 2025. Bags, films and wrappers, as well as cartons because their insides and caps are also made from plastic, should be put into the blue bin.
The Government requires all waste collection authorities to accept these items from April 2027 as part of Simpler Recycling legislation, announced in 2023, designed to standardise recycling services across the country. This policy also includes the delivery of weekly – and separate – food waste collections, a service which has been provided by the council to most households since 2010.
The changes are being implemented in the borough with minimal financial impact. Information stickers will be added to the lids of all blue bins while the updated list of accepted materials will be available on the council’s website and promoted through its social media channels.
A spokesperson for the council said:
The borough council’s recycling service allows flexibility in accommodating extra materials so it’s pleased to press ahead with the collection of flexible plastics and cartons two years early. This decision further strengthens our commitment to being a leading authority in sustainability and circular economy principles, having been one of the first councils in the country to provide weekly food waste collections 15 years ago now.
Increasing what we collect is hugely beneficial in many ways. It will further boost recycling performance, place greater focus on using sustainable recycling methods to reprocess materials back into valuable commodities – shifting the emphasis away from the household rubbish bin – and contribute to lower carbon emissions and net zero objectives for the council, and wider borough, in our Sustainable Environment Strategy. Ultimately it means that we’ll be fully compliant with the mandatory requirements well ahead of time.”
A second spokesperson added:
Newcastle-under-Lyme has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to recycling and sustainability matters so it’s good news that we’re able to introduce these mandatory changes early – two years before the actual deadline. Residents are really keen to recycle and will be happy about the improvements. It’s partly down to their good practices – presenting high quality material with low levels of contamination – that we’re able to make this positive move.”
The council operates a twin-stream recycling system, using a blue container and bag, which separates paper and card from the other materials, as well as a separate food waste collection and a chargeable garden waste service. This is in addition to the household rubbish bin which is emptied every two weeks.
The council’s planned extension of the food waste service, to include flats, is now underway and will be completed this year. It is also launching a recycling service aimed at businesses, mirroring the enhanced household provision, to help them comply with the Simpler Recycling legislation.