A mother and child are outside sorting through the recycling bins (Image: Getty Images)

       Households across the UK are being “burdened by an increasingly complicated and confusing” rubbish sorting system - with one council offering up to 11 bins. Most areas across the UK (53%) have three or fewer bins but residents in Conwy County Borough Council, in Wales, have as many as 11 for residents to separate their waste.

       This includes one for: paper and card, glass, plastic and cans/aerosols, textiles, absorbent hygiene products, coffee pods, batteries, mobile phones, food, garden waste and general refuse. The analysis for the Express, done by paper firm DS Smith using Waste and Resources Action Programme’s local authority portal, found that areas with four or more bins generally boast better recycling rates.

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       John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Households across the UK are being burdened by an increasingly complicated and confusing waste separation system.

       “Rubbish collection is a core service that taxpayers pay for, yet in many areas residents are left doing much of the hard work themselves.

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       “The government's touted plans to simplify bin collections are a step in the right direction and should be rolled out nationwide.”

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       Conwy County Borough Council has one of the highest recycling rate with an average of 70%.

       Fifty eight councils with two bins had an average recycling rate of 36%.

       Some 134 councils with three bins had an average recycling rate of 41%.

       In comparison, two councils with 10 bins got an average of 66%.

       Liz Mallard, fibre and sustainability manager at DS Smith, said: "The way we collect our recycling has a fundamental part to play in what ends up being recycled. It’s a simple fact that the recycling rates are lower when materials are mixed together in bins.

       “Some councils are addressing this and have provided more services in some areas of the UK, for example Conwy County has 11 bins or bags to separate materials.

       “That might seem a lot, but it means people don’t have to travel to a store or a recycling centre to recycle things like electronics, batteries or textiles – that means it's more convenient for consumers, increases the recycling rate and preserves the value of what's collected.

       “Research shows the majority of Brits are willing to sort their recycling into four or more containers, so if councils provide more bins, we should see less material sent to landfill or incineration.

       “We need to see more investment in collection systems and sorting facilities, to achieve improved recycling rates in the UK.”

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       There are three main types of recycling collection systems in the UK: commingled, two stream and multi stream.

       The most common is commingled systems (46% of local authorities) – where all recyclable materials are put into the same bin, usually with another bin for organic waste and refuse.

       What is in a mixed recycling collection will vary, but can include plastic, glass, paper and card. These materials are taken to a mixed recycling facility, and then separated by material type.

       The recycling rate for comingled systems is generally lower than for the other two systems at 41%, as mixing several materials together can contaminate materials that would otherwise be recyclable.

       Wales reported a recycling rate for 2023/24 of 66.6%, dwarfing the rates of England and Scotland, with 43.4% and 43.5% respectively.

       DS Smith has called for separate collections of paper and card, a standard recycling system across the country and better labelling on products for consumers to help improve UK recycling rates.

       Environment Secretary Steve Reed pledged in November to streamline the approach to recycling to end the "postcode lottery" of bin collections - which is a devolved issue.

       Under Labour's reforms, households and businesses will now only see four containers by default. The Government said this would allow the public to recycle the same materials across England and no longer need to check what is accepted in their local area.

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       Mr Reed said: “After 14 years of Conservative failure, communities face an avalanche of rubbish plaguing our streets and poisoning our rivers and seas."

       He added: “This Labour Government is introducing a streamlined approach to recycling to end to the postcode lottery, simplify bin collections and clean up our streets for good.”

       The Welsh Government said: “Wales leads the UK in recycling and has the second highest recycling rates in the world. People in Wales are proud of this success which reduces carbon emissions and drastically cuts the amount of waste sent to incineration and landfill.”