Flatflex Waste Composition Analysis

The Government's collection and packaging reforms represent the biggest change to the UK's waste and recycling sector for c.25 years. Simpler Recycling aims to make it easier for households and businesses to recycle, including making provisions by 31 March 2027 for all local authorities in England to collect plastic bags and wrapping (flexibles) for recycling from all households. The FlexFlats project aims to understand how local authorities can provide an efficient and effective flexibles collection service to residents who live in purpose-built flats and share bins (communal bins). The pilots will be carried out in partnership with three London local authorities with five pilot sites (blocks) in each. The local authorities are: • London borough of Bexley (twin-stream dry recycling service) • London borough of Lewisham (comingled dry recycling service) • Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (commingled dry recycling service) The pilot will trial a range of methods for flexibles plastics collection in 15 blocks of flats across the three boroughs. Each block will have a minimum of 25 households and will have a residual waste and dry recycling collection service already in place. A range of in-home solutions will be piloted. Flexibles sorted in the home will then be collected externally in either the usual dry recycling bin or a separate flexibles bin in the communal bin area - it is anticipated that separate flexibles bins will be no larger than 240l. Pilots are still being finalised but are likely to include the following: In-home options External infrastructure options* 1 No home separation - resident behaves as now (control) Usual recycling bin 2 In-home separation using residents own bags Standard wheeled bin (lined) / Lid-in-lid bin (lined) / Sack holder 3 In-home separation using rolls of bags delivered by the local authority Usual recycling bin (co-mingled) / Lid-in-lid bin (lined) / Sack holder 4 In-home separation using provided storage caddy (non-compact