Resources

An updated practical guide for local authorities on managing the quality of recyclable materials collected at the kerbside.

This guide provides local authorities with information on the collection of household food waste as a means of diverting material from landfill or other residual waste treatment. The original guide was produced in 2009 and updated in 2016. This latest update for 2024 pulls together the findings from more recent studies and pilots conducted by WRAP and others.

Procurement guidance for local authorities in relation to procurement of specialist food waste collection vehicles, food waste collection containers and communal housings.

This webinar will help LAs get ready to introduce separate food waste collections.

Restricted Residual Collections (whether a smaller bin or extended frequency in collections) are becoming increasingly common by Local Authorities, in a drive to increase and improve recycling performance, reduce residual waste arisings and focus citizen behaviour. This movement is particularly evident in Wales and Scotland, less so in England.

The Recycling Tracker is an annual survey of UK households that gathers evidence on recycling attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour. ​It is the largest and longest running of its kind, having been undertaken by WRAP since 2004. ​

The survey uses boost sampling in Northern Ireland to provide a robust, enhanced sample of Northern Irish citizens. Fieldwork was undertaken online, from 20 - 30 March 2023. A total of 5,343 interviews were undertaken UK-wide with adults who have responsibility for dealing with the rubbish and recycling in the home. This included a sample of 563 adults in Northern Ireland. The sample matches the known profile of the Northern Ireland population, with quotas set on age, gender, region and social grade.

The Recycling Tracker is an annual survey of UK households that gathers evidence on recycling attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour. ​It is the largest and longest running of its kind, having been undertaken by WRAP since 2004. ​

Fieldwork was undertaken online from 20 - 30 March 2023. A total of 5,343 interviews were undertaken with UK adults who have responsibility for dealing with the rubbish and recycling in the home. The sample matches the known profile of the population, with quotas set on age, gender, region, social class, and ethnicity.

Since 2019, WRAP has been providing support to partner authorities in Hampshire as part of Project Integra. Project Integra was established in 1995 to provide an integrated approach to the collection, treatment and disposal of waste in Hampshire.

The project involves 11 waste collection authorities, 2 unitary authorities, Hampshire County Council and Veolia Hampshire, the integrated waste management contractor.

Modelling work undertaken by WRAP in 2017/18 helped officers from North East Lincolnshire Council develop a business case to replace the weekly collection of residual waste with an ‘alternate week collection’.  In addition to delivering financial savings for the authority, the implementation of fortnightly residual waste collections saw an 18% reduction in residual waste alongside a 50% increase in dry recycling.

WRAP supported the development of a new waste strategy, shaped by internal targets and external drivers, such as alignment with the resources and waste strategy. The Council has a target to increase its recycling rate from 46% to 55% by 2025. Basildon Council’s vision is to re-position its waste and recycling collections in alignment with its carbon reduction and sustainable resource management ambitions.

WRAP and Recycle Now's recycling tracker provides insights into UK citizen’s attitudes towards recycling as well as a greater understanding of their recycling related behaviours. It is an annual survey of UK citizens that gathers evidence on recycling attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour. It is the largest and longest running of its kind, having been undertaken by WRAP since 2004.

It is good practice for local authorities to regularly monitor and evaluate their services and schemes to assess performance, identify problems, make changes, design new approaches and ultimately improve efficiency and effectiveness. The Monitoring and Evaluation Guide has been updated in 2023 to provide practical advice and tips on how to do this.