89.2% of local authorities in England now collect cartons from households for recycling, three months on from Simpler Recycling reforms coming into force.
New figures reveal that 322 out of 361 UK councils now accept liquid cartons as part of their kerbside recycling collections, up from 238 at the start of 2025.
Simpler Recycling reforms, which came into force in March this year, require councils to collect several different types of waste separately from households, including:
- all other dry recyclable materials (glass, metal and plastic, including cartons).
- paper and card.
- food and garden waste.
- residual waste (non-recyclable waste that is sent for energy recovery or to landfill).
Simpler recycling aims to standardise recycling collections across all local authorities.
Commenting on the statistics, Mandy Kelly, CEO of ACE UK, said: ” Reaching nearly 90% kerbside coverage is a significant achievement, and a strong footing to build on as the remaining authorities move toward citizen-friendly collection systems.”
ACE UK is the industry body representing manufacturers of liquid cartons for the UK and Europe.
Kelly continued: “It demonstrates the positive momentum behind creating a more consistent recycling system and makes it easier for households to recycle cartons as part of their everyday routine.”