OPRL response: Government announcement on Simpler Recycling offers clarity and welcome choice for collection systems

On Saturday 21 October, Defra announced its plan for Simpler Recycling – new legislation for local authority recycling collections that was broadcast during the Prime Minister’s recent announcement on net zero. 

Responding to the government announcement, Dr Margaret Bates, Executive Director at OPRL, described the statement as a prompt and clear message that will make planning and operations more efficient for local authorities, packaging producers and waste managers.

Bates is a previous president of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management and visiting professor at the University of Northampton, who has worked with local authorities and waste managers for over 35 years. She said: “Defra has clearly worked hard to clarify the detail of Simpler Recycling as quickly as possible, and this statement should be a welcome assurance for local authorities and wider industry.

"By March 2026, householders in England will all have the same materials collected by their council, which will reduce confusion and increase recycling. The removal of the current TEEP exemption system will give local authorities the freedom to collect material in the most efficient way, and to ensure that recycling rates are increased, whether that is by comingled or separate collections.”

Saturday’s announcement clarified Defra’s legislative plans for local authority collections. From 2026, household collections for metal, glass, plastic, paper, card, garden waste and weekly food waste will become mandatory. Non-household municipal premises such as schools and hospitals will come under the new regulations in 2025.

The current TEEP system was designed to improve the quality of material recycled. It stipulated that paper, card, metals, glass and plastic should be collected separately, when it was Technically, Environmentally and Economically Practical, or ‘TEEP’. However, this has proved contentious among those who believe that comingled collections help to raise participation levels among householders.

Bates concluded: “After listening to industry and tackling concerns around consistency, Simpler Recycling represents another important building block in England’s EPR system. We are gaining momentum now and, once in place, we can hope to have a world-class system that will bring about a real step change in recycling.

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Editors notes

• OPRL Ltd operates the UK-wide On-Pack Recycling Label scheme used by over 750 member companies and charities. It is the leading independent expert in packaging recyclability, providing recycling and refill labels – and advice – to 95 per cent of the UK groceries market.

• OPRL is an independent, not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, established to help retailers and brands engage their customers in recycling.

• The company’s guarantors span ACE UK, Alupro, British Glass, CPI, INCPEN, LARAC, MPMA and RECOUP.

• OPRL was launched in 2009, as a not-for-profit limited by guarantee as part of the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The move followed work between BRC, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and their leading members, and WRAP. The aim was to devise a labelling system that would engage consumers with recycling, as local authorities started to roll out basic services. Three of the founding directors are still on our board.