How UK councils compare on recycling

The rankings

• The weekly shop basketHow many of 22 everyday packaging items each council collects from home, ranked within each nation.
• Recycling rates in EnglandDefra's official household recycling rate for 2024-25, highest to lowest.
• Food waste collectionsWho collects food waste from home, how often, and when the rest say they'll start.

What each council collects from home

• GlassBottles and jars. A separate glass box or bin counts.
• CartonsDrinks and food cartons, like milk, juice and soup cartons.
• Soft plasticsPlastic film and bags, like crisp packets, bread bags and wrappers.
• TextilesClothes, shoes and other textiles, usually in a bag beside a bin.
• Small electricalsSmall electrical items, like kettles, toasters and hair dryers, usually in a bag beside a bin.
• BatteriesHousehold batteries, usually in a clear bag on top of a bin.

What we don't rank

Some comparisons would be unfair, so we've left them out. A count of every item a council accepts mostly reflects how many items we list for each material. Having more bins doesn't make a service better or worse. Councils set garden waste prices in too many different ways to compare yet. And how often the rubbish bin is emptied is the council's choice, so we don't score it.