Following new recycling rules that came into force on 31 March 2026, households across England are now required to separate their waste into distinct streams for the first time. Food waste, paper and card, dry recyclables, and residual waste all need to be collected separately, including from flats. A further change arrives in March 2027, when plastic film and bags must be collected alongside plastic recycling.
The changes are significant. But our take? The smartest response to new recycling rules isn’t better sorting. It is generating less waste in the first place.
Reduce Before You Recycle
The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 place the burden of correct sorting firmly on individual households, at a time when many are already navigating inconsistent guidance from their local councils. More bins, more streams, more decisions.
As Craig Larkin, Managing Director at re:gn, puts it: "The new regulations are a meaningful step forward. But the most sustainable bin remains the one with less in it. Our products are designed around that principle. The aim isn’t to make recycling easier, but to make much of it unnecessary."
Four Simple Kitchen Swaps Worth Making Now
The good news is that a handful of easy plastic-free kitchen swaps can significantly reduce the everyday items most likely to end up incorrectly sorted, or sent straight to landfill.
Swap cling film and single-use food bags for silicone food bags or wax wraps. Plastic film is notoriously difficult to recycle and is frequently rejected during collection despite good intentions. Silicone bags and wax wraps do the same job, wash clean, and last for years.
Swap disposable kitchen roll for bamboo kitchen roll or unpaper towels. With paper and card now a mandatory separate stream, a household getting through several rolls a week is generating constant, avoidable waste. Reusable alternatives are simply washed and used again.
Swap composite sponges for home-compostable kitchen sponges. Standard sponges combine cellulose and plastic, which means they can’t be recycled and go straight to landfill at the end of their life. Compostable sponges don’t have that problem.
Swap single-use plastic wrap for silicone lids or reusable produce bags. Plastic film is due to enter its own separate collection stream from March 2027. Reducing your reliance on it now is the simpler option, with no sorting required.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t about being against recycling. It is about asking a better question. Rather than "am I sorting this correctly?", the more powerful prompt is "did I need to buy this in the first place?"
The new rules are a useful nudge to take a fresh look at your kitchen and spot where small,
lasting changes can make a genuine difference. And, as Craig adds: "We're all for less waste. The new rules are a useful prompt for households to look at their kitchens and question if they needed to buy something in the first place."
Sustainability made simple starts with what you put in your basket, not just what you put in your bin.
