• The UK government will require households to segregate plastic waste by type into different recycling bins to increase recycling rates and reduce plastic waste in landfills and incinerators.
• Critics have raised concerns about the cost and complexity of the changes, as well as the potential for reduced recycling rates and unclear motivations behind the policy.
• The success of the policy will depend on participation and implementation, and ongoing debate surrounds its effectiveness and motivations.

Plan to Change Bin Collection

The BBC recently reported on the changes the UK government has announced in its latest initiative in the fight against plastic waste: the mandatory segregation of different types of plastic waste. Under the new policy, households in England will be required to separate their plastic waste by type into recycling different bins. These bin collection changes, which are being billed as an environmental policy, are aimed at increasing the amount of plastic waste that can be recycled.

Conservative leader of Sevenoaks District Council in Kent, Peter Fleming, has criticised the plan to change bin collection operations as “making no sense” while saying it would only result in more bin lorries on the streets without actually encouraging any household waste reduction. “The idea that standardisation – a national bin service – is the way forward makes absolutely no sense,” he told the BBC.

The government has said it will fully fund the new waste collection burdens on local authorities with their spokesperson confirming, “it is essential that the full implementation and running costs of any changes are reimbursed”. However, the District Councils’ Network spokesperson remains concerned about the reforms and “their potential to reduce local freedom to deliver services that work in the best way for our communities”.

Some councils and officials have argued that the new policy will be extremely costly and cumbersome, with some increasing worries that it could lead households to stop recycling altogether. “Our residents do the recycling, we just make it easy for them,” said Sarah Nelmes, chief operating officer of the council of Three Rivers in Hertfordshire. “If we change the rules, some people just won’t bother. If I had to have another three boxes, would I recycle?” Nelmes added. “I’m concerned it will be chaos because everybody will be trying to do the same thing at the same time. If every council in the country is having to buy different bins, that’s not going to work great.”

Waste Separation

However, supporters of the policy argue that the benefits of waste separation outweigh the drawbacks. By segregating plastic waste by type, it will be easier for recycling facilities to sort and recycle it, leading to a higher percentage of plastic waste being recycled. This will reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfill or is burned, both of which are harmful to the environment.

Different parties are highlighting what they perceive as the pros and cons of the plans, but the department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) is clear in their assertion of what the benefits of the mandatory segregation of plastic types in household waste are. The policy is designed to increase the amount of plastic that can be recycled, enabling a move towards a sustainable future with a fully circular economy and the elimination of plastic waste pollution.

Ms Nelmes also expressed concern over the complexities of implementing the same system across different local authorities. “Much depends on where your waste goes, your local recycling facility, and how well they can deal with that. That’s where this consistency is going to fall down,” Nelmes said.

The debate over whether the UK government’s new plastic waste policy is driven by environmental or financial reasons is ongoing. The questions surrounding the policy changes remain to be answered, such as whether the changes will discourage recycling by households, if the environmental benefits of segregated plastic waste will be enough to offset the increased carbon footprint of the expanded waste collection infrastructure, and whether protecting the environment or increasing revenues from waste are the true motivator behind these changes.

While some are pleased to see action being taken on household plastic waste, other critics are sceptical that it is a genuine attempt to protect the environment. Ultimately, the success of the policy will depend on how it is implemented, and whether households and local authorities are willing and able to separate their plastic waste by type. Only time will tell if the policy proves successful in pushing the nation towards more sustainable waste management practices.

References:

BBC News. “UK government announces new policy on plastic waste,” 12 December 2020, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64995473.