Households urged to put lids on glass jars for new bin rules | UK | News

New bin rules have been introduced for households across England. Going forward, people have been told they can leave metal lids and lids on glass containers before they are thrown away to reduce the chance of them being “lost”.

This follows new rules that came into force on March 31 earlier this year. The new rules state that different types of waste must be collected separately. These mandatory and uniform recycling requirements for businesses and households in England have been introduced under the Environment Act 2021. If households do not comply with new recycling changes they may face their waste not being collected.

This also means that Local Authorities need to provide clear guidance on what can and cannot be recycled.

The government website states: “From 31 March 2026, waste collectors must by default collect the following types of waste separately:

• food and garden waste
• paper and card
• all other dry recyclable materials (including glass, metal and plastic, cardboard)
• residual waste (non-recyclable waste sent for energy recovery or to landfill)

“All such waste should be collected from all houses (including flats).”

It was also emphasized that plastic film packaging and plastic bags should be collected through plastic recycling as of March 31, 2027.

In addition, paper and cards will be collected along with other dry recyclable materials.

Government guidance states that the collection of certain glassware is not mandatory; this includes:

• candles
• glasses
• flat glass
• glass baking dish (such as Pyrex)
• bulbs and tubes
• microwave plates
• mirrors
• vases
• window glass
• ceramics, such as pottery or earthenware

Households should check with local authorities if they are unsure about the new rules, as municipalities have the power to decide how to collect different materials.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ lid guidance states: “Metal lids and lids on glass containers (e.g. metal jam jar lids) can be left on and recycled with the glass.

“Replacing lids or lids on glass jars and bottles and recycling them with glass reduces the likelihood of them being lost in the sorting process.”

Recycle Now said: “Drain and rinse quickly. Any remaining liquid may contaminate other recyclable materials, which may mean they are not recycled.”

“Reattach the caps and lids. This reduces the chance of them being lost during the sorting process as they can be recycled separately.”