What changed
From 31 March 2026, the default household streams in England include food and garden waste, paper and card, other dry recyclables and residual waste. Local transition arrangements still matter.
What this means at home
Do not assume a national rule tells you which coloured container to use. Check the council’s accepted-materials list and address service first.
Source and limit
The policy detail comes from GOV.UK Simpler Recycling guidance. It applies to England; other nations have different local arrangements.
Find your council
Use a postcode to identify the authority responsible for your area, then follow the official local instructions.
We use an ONS-backed postcode match to identify the council. We do not store the postcode.