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‘Simpler Recycling’ plan for England

Recycled plastic bottles and cans

Plans are in place for all councils across England to make recycling easier and to help the planet.

From 31st March 2026, plastic pots, tubs, trays, cartons, aluminium foil, and aerosols will be recycled with plastic films to follow by 31st March 2027.

These materials are not currently recycled in Sheffield, and to meet reforms set out in The Environment Act 2021, ‘Simpler Recycling’ will be introduced to make England’s recycling simpler and consistent.

To comply with the Act, the Council is seeking approval from its Waste and Street Scene committee tomorrow to consult with residents and stakeholders on future waste and recycling in Sheffield. The consultation would also look to improve certain service areas, such as paper and card collection.

The proposed Public Consultation and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy is set out in the committee report here.

If approved at committee, the consultation would begin in August and include two sets of questions around current and future waste and recycling: one aimed at residents in houses, the second aimed at residents in flats.

The outcome of the consultation will be used alongside the results of commercial discussions with Veolia and the independent modelling carried out by the Waste and Resources Action Programme to inform a report to be brought to a future Waste and Street Scene committee. This report will set out recommendations for future waste and recycling services.

As well as seeking approval to consult on the future strategy for Sheffield, the committee report provides details on new initiatives that fall under the Environment Act, including ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ and a ‘Deposit Return Scheme’ that will impact the amount of waste generated across England.

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging will make producers responsible for the full net cost of managing the packaging they place on the market. Since 2023, producers have had to report how much plastic, paper/card, aluminium, glass, steel, wood, and fibre based composite packaging they place on to the market each year. From October 2025, producers will be required to pay fees based on the recyclability of this packaging.

The introduction of a deposit return scheme will see a redeemable deposit added to the price of in-scope drinks containers sold to customers, which will then be reimbursed once it has been returned for recycling. Initial indications suggest a deposit amount of around 20p. The materials in scope of the deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England are steel and aluminium cans, and PET plastic bottles up to three litres in size.

Initially, the deposit return scheme was set to start in October 2025. However, in April 2024, this start date was delayed until 1st October 2027. Once the scheme is operating, these materials can be returned by consumers through the reverse vending machines located at retailers, rather than being collected through kerbside recycling. It is anticipated that the deposit return scheme is expected to lead to a significant reduction in the number of drinks containers collected at the kerbside, with a target of 90% capture of all materials within three years of the scheme being in operation.

Councillor Joe Otten, Chair of Waste and Street Scene Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “In Sheffield, we currently collect higher than average glass yields, as well as cans and plastic bottles when compared with similar cities to Sheffield. According to our customer satisfaction surveys though, our paper and card recycling service does not provide enough capacity. If the committee approves the proposed consultation on our overall recycling service, we will test these results out by giving the whole city the opportunity to comment and then look at what the best options are for the future.

“In terms of the upcoming changes in legislation, we are aware that the recent change in Government may result in policy changes so we will, of course, build that into our planning accordingly.”