Households in England will in the future be able to put recyclables – plastic, metal, glass, paper and card – in one bin, the government has said.

Councils will also be able to co-collect food and garden waste under the new plans announced by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) today.

DEFRA said the same materials will be collected from homes, workplaces and schools across the country, to end the confusion caused by councils operating different systems.

It said the measures will mean people no longer have to check which materials their specific council will accept for recycling.

The move will also reduce complexity for waste collectors and boost recycling rates, it added.

The plans will apply to all homes in England, including flats.

In addition, DEFRA said it is supporting councils to increase collections to prevent bins from overflowing.

A minimum backstop will be introduced – so councils are expected to collect black bin waste at least fortnightly, alongside weekly food waste collections.

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Recycling Minister Robbie Moore said: “We all want to do our bit to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill – but a patchwork of different bin collections across England means it can be hard to know what your council will accept.

“Our plans for Simpler Recycling will end that confusion: ensuring that the same set of materials will be collected regardless of where you live.”

Paul Vanston, chief executive of the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN), said: “Householders can take this government announcement as a pledge that, wherever we live across the nation, our local councils will all speedily implement recycling collections of the full range of materials that will match on-pack recycling labels citizens rely on for guidance.”

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Similar measures will apply to businesses, hospitals, schools and universities, places of worship, charity shops, hostels and public meeting places.

The government has not yet provided a timetable for when the scheme will be introduced. Sky News has contacted DEFRA to ask if a timetable has been set.

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