If you have a pet, new regulations in England mean that certain everyday essentials can't be placed in your household recycling bins. The Simpler Recycling rules, which came into effect at the end of March this year, aim to create consistent, more efficient collections across all homes and businesses.

Under the new system, councils have transitioned to a four-bin arrangement covering food and garden waste, paper and card, dry recyclable materials such as glass, metal and plastic, and non-recyclable waste. Householders should consult their local authority if uncertain about the updated rules, as councils have the power to determine how different materials are collected. When it comes to pet essentials, there are a couple of things that all owners must be aware of, or they risk their bins being left uncollected.

Pet food pouches

While steel and aluminium pet food tins should be rinsed and recycled, the laminated foil and plastic pouches used for wet dog and cat food are excluded from metal and plastic collections.

Their mixed-material layers make them impossible for standard council machinery to separate, meaning they must be disposed of in your general waste.

Animal bedding

If you have smaller pets such as hamsters, rabbits or guinea pigs, their used animal bedding - including straw, hay and wood shavings - cannot be placed into your household garden waste or food waste bins. Due to its contact with animal waste, it's categorised as a non-permitted contaminant and must be discarded in your general rubbish.

Like animal bedding, loose sawdust used for pet enclosures, litter trays or rabbit hutches is likewise excluded from the standard organic and garden waste streams.

It should be placed in the residual waste bin to avoid contamination at waste collection facilities.

Plastic pet toys

The new regulations emphasise that the plastic recycling stream is exclusively for packaging, such as bottles, pots, tubs and trays.

Bulky rigid plastics, such as hard plastic dog and cat toys, travel crates and pet food storage containers, are excluded from your household recycling collection.

Puppy pads

The guidance specifies that absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) are not to be collected in the paper, card or plastic bins.

For pet owners, this encompasses disposable puppy training pads, pet nappies, and plastic-backed pads, all of which must go directly into your general waste bin.