Preparing Hull’s Flats for 2026
Under Simpler Recycling legislation all households, including flats, must recycle a core set of dry recyclable materials (paper, glass, plastic, cardboard and metal) by 31 March 2026.
To prepare for this important change in the law, Hull City Councils’ Waste Management Team have been running a six‑month recycling trial in more than 700 flats, which will guide the city‑wide roll out of recycling in flats starting March 2026.
The trial has helped us:
- identify the most effective bin types for flats (outdoor bins, chutes, housing containers)
- reduce contamination in bins—putting things in the wrong bin makes recycling costly and inefficient, and correct bin use helps turn waste into new products more easily
- understand your views on the legislation and bin changes.
Recycling officers are sampling the waste being put into the bins. Sampling this waste helps us determine if the bins are being used correctly and which bins produce the best recycling results.
With this information, we can make recycling in flats easier, maximise recycling and minimise waste, and by acting early, Hull City Council aims to ensure smooth recycling collections for all flats from March 2026.