New ‘Simpler Recycling’ legislation from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is about to come into effect across England which will change the way that commercial waste is disposed of and separated. With the new rules set to be enforced from March 2025, it’s time for businesses to prepare.
Not sure where to start? We’ve put together this guide to help your venue or facility get compliant in time.
DEFRA has set the following deadlines for businesses to separate different types of waste for recycling:
31st March 2025: All businesses with 10 or more full-time employees must separate dry mixed recyclables, paper and card, and organic/food waste from general waste.
31st March 2026: Households are required to recycle all waste types, excluding plastic film. Local authorities will begin receiving ongoing funding for food waste collections, supporting weekly services.
31st March 2027: The commercial recycling legislation will now apply to businesses of all sizes and plastic film will be included in the materials that must be recycled.
All too often legislation can seem complex and with businesses running the risk of hefty fines and even civil sanctions for non-compliance, it’s essential that you get to grips with your legal obligations, understand the benefits of efficient recycling and how to go about implementing a multi-stream recycling system.
Start by assessing the types of waste your business currently produces and where they’re generated. For example, do you have a kitchen or staff area? What streams will you have to separate there? What about back-of-house areas like offices? Perhaps a large amount of cardboard and paper is generated there.
Any business creating food waste will need to comply with new legislation surrounding organic waste. Whether you produce or manufacture food, or your employees generate their own food waste known as ‘personal waste’, you will need to implement a system to capture and separate organic waste. It’s also worth noting that food disposal equipment, such as macerators, or other forms of food waste treatment equipment (e.g. dewatering or enzyme digesters) cannot be used.
A common and unfortunately costly issue when it comes to recycling is cross-contamination. Make sure your bins come with clear recycling signage including colour-coding and descriptive icons so it’s easy for your customers and employees to see which waste goes where at a glance.
Create a culture of recycling in your facility by engaging and involving your staff to maximise results. We’ve created free educational tools and resources to help support businesses in training teams.
Aside from ensuring compliance with commercial recycling regulations, businesses can benefit from better recycling in a variety of ways.
Following the introduction of similar rules for workplaces in Wales in April 2024, many businesses in England are choosing to recycle additional waste streams – as mandated by the legislation in Wales – to ensure consistency across sites and to maximise the benefits of recycling as much waste as possible.
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