Resources

Guide
18 March 2024

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

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Service design
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Dry materials
Sector:
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
Guide
14 February 2024

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

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Service design
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Organics
Sector:
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • National government and departments
Webinar
17 November 2023

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.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Consistency in collections
  • Service design
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Dry materials
Sector:
  • Local Authorities
Report
18 October 2023

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.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Consistency in collections
  • Service design
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Recycling in urban areas
  • Dry materials
  • Organics
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • National government and departments
Report
18 October 2023

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.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Consistency in collections
  • Service design
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Recycling in urban areas
  • Dry materials
  • Organics
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • National government and departments
Report
6 June 2023

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.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Service design
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Dry materials
  • Organics
Sector:
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Guide
3 May 2023

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.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Service design
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
Sector:
  • Local Authorities
Report
20 February 2023

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.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Consistency in collections
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Recycling in urban areas
  • Dry materials
  • Organics
Sector:
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • National government and departments
Report
26 January 2023

With government plans to introduce mandatory kerbside collections for films and flexibles by 2027 there is a growing need for a consistent terminology to effectively communicate to citizens. Between March 2020 and October 2022 WRAP undertook three rounds of citizen testing to measure the clarity and effectiveness of a wide range in terminology, with a clear preference presenting itself, as well as key principles for communicating positive recycling behaviour.

Initiatives:
  • Eliminating problem plastics
  • The UK Plastics Pact
  • Film and flexible packaging
  • Waste management and end markets
  • Behaviour change interventions
  • Collections & recycling
  • Consistency in collections
  • Service design
  • Communicating with residents
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Recycling in urban areas
Sector:
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations
Guide
4 January 2023

The Environment Act 2021 is ushering in a raft of new policies that will see local authorities across England make significant changes to the way they collect household waste.

Requirements such as the separate collection of food waste will mean that new services will be introduced, whilst the proposed ‘minimum service standards’ for the collection of household waste will entail changes to many existing services.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Service design
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Dry materials
  • Organics
Sector:
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • National government and departments
Guide
15 December 2022

A practical guide to improving recycling performance through effective communications with your residents.

Initiatives:
  • Collections & recycling
  • Service design
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
Sector:
  • Local Authorities
Report
1 December 2022

Through The UK Plastics Pact we are redesigning the plastics system, working across the entire plastics value chain to reduce its climate impact, by stopping plastic waste, and the harmful emissions of new plastic production, keeping the material in the economy and out of the environment.

We are over halfway to The UK Plastics Pact targets and our 2021-22 annual report gives an honest appraisal of progress and challenges. 

Initiatives:
  • Eliminating problem plastics
  • The UK Plastics Pact
  • Plastic packaging design
  • Global Plastics Pacts
  • Reuse and refill
  • Film and flexible packaging
  • Waste management and end markets
  • Collections & recycling
  • Consistency in collections
  • Contamination prevention
  • Collections and sorting
  • Kerbside collection
  • Re-use
  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
  • Market situation reports
Sector:
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and brands
  • Waste management and reprocessors
  • Local Authorities
  • Packaging producers
  • Trade associations
  • National government and departments
  • Non-governmental organisations