Household Recycling Code of Practice: Consultation document

1. Core recyclable materials

Core recyclable materials are the materials that all householders should expect to be able to recycle through local authority collection services, regardless of where they live in Scotland.

1.1 What the Code proposes

Consistency in the materials accepted for recycling was identified throughout the co-design process as a foundational measure for improving public understanding of recycling services and supporting behaviour change. Stakeholders reported that greater consistency in the materials collected would make services easier for residents to understand, simplify communications and help reduce contamination.

The Code references the mandatory set of core recyclable materials that must be collected from households across Scotland under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and clarifies the status of plastic film within that category:

• Paper and card
• Plastics (including plastic film)
• Metals
• Glass
• Food waste (unless otherwise exempted )

These materials make up most of recyclable household waste. Local authorities are also expected to collect food and drink cartons (or fibre-based composites) for recycling. 31 of 32 Scottish local authorities already collect cartons.

Stakeholder discussion noted that consistency in materials collected is more important than consistency in collection method. For that reason, the Code suggests that all local authorities include the same core materials as part of their kerbside collections, as set out in Table 2.

Local authorities may also collect additional materials alongside core materials, and are encouraged to do so where it supports local priorities or delivers environmental and/or economic benefits. This could include items such as batteries, vapes, small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), mattresses and furniture, textiles or other materials (see section below on Options to Go Further).

Local authorities should consider provision for items both accepted and not accepted in kerbside collections at household waste recycling centres.

1.2 Impact of the proposed Code

The Code outlines expected standards for collecting materials. The purpose of stating specific types of materials is to deliver greater consistency, improved public understanding, lower contamination rates and clearer communications.

The Co-design Report highlights that the best performing recycling systems are supported by clear messaging and widespread understanding of what can be recycled. Stakeholders repeatedly noted how differing acceptance criteria between local authorities can contribute to public confusion, complicate local operations, increase contamination and make national communications campaigns less effective. The proposed list of items that are recommended to be accepted and not accepted should increase consistency and provide greater certainty for local authorities, waste operators and producers regarding the materials expected to be captured through household recycling services, supporting Scotland's wider circular economy ambitions. It also increases the scope for national-level communications on good recycling behaviours.

This could also enable joint procurement once implemented across multiple local authorities, helping to save time and money.

1.3 The extent of change required by local authorities to align with the Code

Local authorities already collect the proposed core materials. Paper and card, glass, plastics and metal containers must already be collected, while food waste collections are a long-standing requirement under the Environmental Protection Act 1990^[8] for households located within areas that are within the Urban-Rural classification areas^[9] 1-3. Although there is no statutory requirement under that Act to collect cartons, they are already collected by 31 of 32 local authorities in Scotland. The Code clarifies that it is recommended practice for them to be collected.

This section also clarifies that flexible plastic and plastic films should also be collected by local authorities. Flexible plastics and plastic film have always been within the definition of “plastic” used in the statutory list of dry recyclable materials, but they have not been routinely collected by local authorities. Five local authorities in Scotland (East Ayrshire, Fife, Glasgow City, Perth & Kinross and Scottish Borders) already offer flexible plastics collections to some or all households. The Code includes a clarification that collecting flexible plastics and plastic film from households is a duty for local authorities. This change will increase the recycling of flexible plastic, which has been estimated to represent more than 27% of consumer plastic packaging but has a UK-wide collection and recycling rate of circa 7% over recent years.^[10]

Proposals to require collection of flexible plastic were consulted on in 2021 as part of proposals for a UK wide packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme and the commitment to introduce collections was included in the four nations government response in 2022.^[11] As such, whether to collect flexible plastics was not part of the discussion during co-design, but the section on dry recycling below summarises discussion on how it should be collected. Following feedback to the consultation on the commercial requirement to collect flexible plastics, a definition is included in the Code of Practice to provide clarity for local authorities and consistency for processors. The definition of plastic film and flexible plastic broadly aligns with that given in England through Simpler Recycling.