York Expands Kerbside Recycling as Demand for Responsible Waste Disposal Grows
Residents across York are now able to recycle food and drink cartons and toothpaste tubes from the doorstep, following an upgrade to the city kerbside service. For the first time these items sit in the same box as glass, plastics and tins, rather than separate bins.
The new recycling system will be carried out by Yorwaste – a recycling company owned by North Yorkshire Council and the City of York Council. It will bring extra materials into the standard household collection and respond to the growing interest in simple and reliable recycling options.
Early move toward simpler recycling
The local upgrade aligns with the UK Government’s new Simpler Recycling reforms, which come into effect on Tuesday 31 March 2026. National plans aim to standardise which materials councils collect from homes, businesses and public buildings. It expects councils to collect paper, card, plastic, metal and glass from homes, alongside separate food waste services.
York has moved ahead of this timetable by adding cartons and toothpaste tubes to kerbside boxes before those rules take effect. Early alignment gives households time to adapt and signals a commitment to clearer, more predictable services.
Residents have been demanding for more clear recycling systems. According to WRAP’s Recycling Tracker survey, 90% of UK households recycle most items suitable for recycling, yet more than three quarters still placed recyclable material in general rubbish.
These patterns shape services in York. Residents seek clear rules, fewer special trips and reassurance their effort delivers environmental benefit. Professional Skiphire company ProSkips also reported a rise in recycling focused bookings, reflecting growing public awareness around responsible waste handling under updated regulations.
Budgets, behaviour and Next Steps
Yorwaste, owned by City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council, manages local waste transfer and recycling facilities and provides onward routes for kerbside material. The expanded service forms part of joint work between the councils and Yorwaste to move more packaging into recycling streams.
As local waste budgets face pressure, garden waste collections now operate as a subscription service, covering fortnightly rounds from March to December. Fees are scheduled to rise to fifty two pounds in order to close a reported shortfall of around one hundred and seventy five thousand pounds on running costs.
Supporters argue this approach protects a popular non statutory service without wider cuts, while opponents warn about pressure on lower income households and possible extra demand at household waste sites. Recent council debates also highlighted concern over a potential two tier pattern in garden waste, where some households sign up and others rely on trips to recycling centres or composting at home. The decision to widen kerbside recycling within the core service rather than through extra paid add ons sits within this financial picture.
Kerbside Collections Expanded
Under the refreshed system residents need to sort recycling into two streams:
- Glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles and containers, metal cans and foil, along with food and drink cartons and suitable plastic tubes such as toothpaste tubes in one box.
- A second box holds paper and cardboard.
The City of York Council asks residents to rinse packaging, remove food scraps, wash and squash bottles, and secure lids before placing boxes out for collection. Clean recycling supports sorting and reduces contamination.
Extra capacity is available where homes present large volumes of recycling. City of York Council supplies additional boxes and lids on request and provides guidance on occasional excess recycling in clear tied bags beside the standard boxes.
For residents wishing to use the wider recycling service, the council website provides a collection calendar, service standards and a Recycle and reuse A to Z guide. Those tools direct households toward the correct box, local recycling banks or household waste recycling centres at Hazel Court and Towthorpe for more complex items.
In Conclusion
York’s decision to bring cartons and toothpaste tubes into regular kerbside collections offers a clearer route for everyday packaging, reduces dependence on separate banks and supports national recycling policy. Small changes at the doorstep, repeated across thousands of households, strengthen progress toward local climate and waste goals.
Stay informed about York’s environment, services and community decisions with Crossways York. Subscribe for regular updates on local recycling, transport and planning stories.
