http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23008982

Those are gonna be some heavy bags when it comes to families.

Wiltshire
its 1 of each of the following bins per fortnight.
Household
Cardboard and plastic bottles
Paper
Glass
Garden refuse

Here in Peterborough we have alternating (i.e. 2 weekly bin collections). You aren't allowed to have the bins overfull (the lids have to be down) so is this really that different?
Presumably there isn't any standardisation or restriction on the size of the bin bags.

I'm actually surprised councils still use uncontained bags TBH. They are harder for the bin people to handle, they are more prone to splitting and hence there being rubbish strewn all over the street.

The point is to force people to recycle which is not restricted. My waste is so low that it takes it two to three weeks to fill a supermarket carrier bag. So such a policy will not impact me at all. Though I do think that most families would struggle, especially if they are not recycling now.

We have wheelie bins, (Biodegradable, paper and cardboard, plastic and "Rest"), these are collected on a 2 weekly cycle and the size of the bins depends on the number of people living in the house.

Garden waste, electrical waste and "special" items, like old CDs have to be taken to recycling centres.

1 trip to Ikea and there goes 1 bag with all the polystyrene used in the packing materials

I think that you can return it all to the store and make it their problem.

Which is about as eco-friendly as, well, my arse

True but if retailers end up having to deal with manufacturers packaging they will start pressuring them to reduce the packaging. It is a slow process but better than nothing.