The great bin postcode lottery REVEALED: Ahead of major shake-up to end the 'binsanity', interactive map reveals how one council makes homes dispose of rubbish in 12 different ways
Britain's 'binsanity' was today laid bare ahead of long-awaited plans to simplify the confusing postcode lottery of waste collection.
The Daily Mail's interactive map reveals how councils get households to dispose of their rubbish in up to six ways, through bins, bags and boxes.
Homes in Denbighshire, Wales are asked to one of their 12 different bins.
Some authorities, including East Devon and Stroud, even need residents to separate paper and cardboard.
A huge Government shake-up set to be rolled out by April is aimed to end the 'mind-bogglingly complex' system.
Under the new default requirement, homes will get four containers to discard paper, plastic, food and non-recyclables.
Power will, however, remain with authorities, meaning that some areas might reject standardised national rules and have four or more bins.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Councils across the UK are placing an enormous burden on households through the often mind-bogglingly complex system of waste separation.
'Bin collections are one of the key services that taxpayers are funding.
'Yet in much of the country, it’s the residents themselves who are responsible for much of the heavy-lifting.
'The system needs streamlining and simplifying so that there is consistency across the board.'
Denbighshire's waste disposal system comes with a 20-page guide online, so that residents can get their heads around it.
A so-called 'Trolibocs' – three separate bins stacked on top of each other forming a trolley with wheels – takes different waste, with paper in the top, metals and plastics in the middle and glass in the bottom.
Residents have a standard 240-litre black or blue wheelie bin for non-recyclables, as well as a blue re-usable bag to collect cardboard.
Outdoor food waste goes into an orange caddy, while a smaller silver one is provided for indoor use.
Electrical items must then be separated and placed on top of the Trolibocs, while all batteries go into a pink container that attaches to its outside. Hygienge products, like incontinence pads, go in a black caddy.
A single-use white sack collects shoes and clothing and all garden waste gets thrown into a green wheelie bin.
Bristol's nine-bin bonanza, meanwhile, is the highest in England.
Residents' black boxes can take paper, magazines and glass and, in a separate bag, can go textiles, shoes, spectacles and small electrical items.
The council's green box can store hard plastic and cans, while the blue bag takes cardboard and brown paper.
The final regular bins are a a brown food caddie, a standard black wheelie bin and a garden waste bin.
Non-recyclable items then go in the standard black wheelie bin, next to which can be placed car batteries and engine oil separated out.
A total of 201 councils responsible for waste collection across England, Scotland and Wales have either three or four bins and methods of disposal, with 114 using four.
Councils that have very long contracts with their waste collection companies will be exempt from the new rules until those contracts come to an end.
The new rules are aimed at helping to boost recycling rates and cut the amount of waste going to landfill or being incinerated.
Recycling rates in England have remained stubbornly at just over 44 per cent for the past decade.
The Government hopes the new rules will raise it to 65 per cent by 2035.
University of Birmingham researchers this week warned 70% of the country doesn't know about the looming changes.
In a paper illustrating the 'hidden challenges' in the rollout, experts said there was a lack of awareness about terms such as 'compostable' and 'biodegradable'.
Furthermore, it stated the infrastructure is 'outdated and ill-equipped to handle new waste streams' like flexible plastic films and compostables. Councils must get extra funding to be able to cope with the new changes, the team said.
Suffolk County Council said its recycling facility would need a £12million upgrade to cope with the changes.
More than £1billion will be spent to implement the scheme by improving facilities and then £250million annually to maintain it.
A Local Government Association spokesperson said: 'Public satisfaction with local waste services remains very high, which councils have worked hard to achieve.
'What works in urban centres is different to rural communities.
'However, the separate collection of paper and card will require additional resource and time for implementation from April 2026.
'It’s also very important different councils have local flexibility where the additional bin is not practical for instance due to inadequate space.'
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: 'This government will introduce a streamlined approach to recycling to end the postcode lottery, simplify bin collections and clean up our streets for good.'
