Simpler Recycling - Changes to household waste collections

All households will receive the following collection services from 31 March 2026:

• Paper and cardboard recycling - weekly
• Mixed recycling - weekly 
• Food recycling - weekly
• Other rubbish - weekly 
• Garden waste - fortnightly, subscribing households with gardens only

This is due to new Simpler Recycling legislation requirements, and our commitment to:

• Improve recycling services
• Maintain weekly rubbish collections

These services are already offered to most households. The main exception is weekly food recycling collections for many flats using communal wheeled bins - this service will be offered during 2025.

Paper and cardboard recycling

The following changes will apply to what you recycle in your paper and cardboard recycling container from 31 March 2026.

• Cartons - these will be excluded from the paper and cardboard stream, and should be included with mixed containers for recycling

Mixed recycling

The following materials will be added to the range of items that can be recycled in your mixed recycling container.

From 31 March 2026

• Aluminium foil and food trays - these must be clean with no food remnants
• Aluminium tubes - for example empty tomato paste tubes
• Plastic tubes - for example empty toothpaste tubes

From 31 March 2027 

• Plastic film packaging and carrier bags - until then, please recycle at larger supermarkets 

Existing materials

This is in addition to the range of materials you can already recycle in your mixed recycling container.

You can check what items can be placed in your containers.

Weekly food recycling collections

All households in Richmond must have weekly food waste collections from 31 March 2026.

We've provided this service to kerbside houses for many years. We're committed to rolling the service out to flats using communal wheeled bins during 2025 and to other domestic premises by the March 2026 deadline.

Weekly general waste collections

No changes are planned for this service, with all households receiving at least weekly collections. Some blocks of flats with communal bins receive two or three weekly collections due to a lack of space for waste storage.

However, the volume of general waste collected is expected to fall significantly due to increased recycling. 

Fortnightly garden waste collections

No changes are required for this service. It's already fully compliant with Simpler Recycling requirements.