September 10, 2024

Prepare for England's New Upcoming Recycling Legislation

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.

What are the new recycling laws in England?

What are the new recycling laws in England?

First things first, what does the new legislation say? From 31st March, businesses in England with more than 10 full-time employees – including healthcare establishments and academic institutions – must separate recyclable materials, paper and card and food waste from general waste, under Section 57 of the Environment Act 2021.

This includes:

Dry recyclables (glass, metal and plastic)
Paper and card
Food waste
Plastic film (from March 2027)

These waste streams will need to be stored and presented for collection by a waste contractor separately.

When will England’s new commercial recycling laws come in?

DEFRA has set the following deadlines for businesses to separate different types of waste for recycling:

31^st 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.

31^st 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.

31^st 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.

How to prepare for recycling legislation

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.

Step 1: What waste is being generated and where?

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.

Step 2: How should businesses recycle food waste under the new legislation?

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.

Step 3: Do you have the right bins in the right places?

Now you’ve assessed which waste streams are being produced in which areas it’s time to ask the question – do I have the right bins in the right places? For areas generating multiple streams, implement Slim Jim® Recycling Stations. A modular solution that allows you to future-proof your waste management system, adding on new streams when they’re needed.

Step 4: Can your bins be seen?

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.

Step 5: Do you have a culture of recycling?

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.

What are the benefits of recycling business waste?

Aside from ensuring compliance with commercial recycling regulations, businesses can benefit from better recycling in a variety of ways.

Cut costs – less waste to landfill will mean a reduction in associated landfill costs, especially as landfill taxes are set to rise. Find your savings using our free Love Recycling audit tool.
Better sustainability – hit your sustainability goals simply by implementing a multi-stream system and communicate your dedication to greener practices.
Improve efficiency – reduce cross-contamination with a clearly visible multi-stream system and improve the efficiency of your recycling.

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.

Your route to simpler recycling

With four different waste streams to collect, your facility will require different bins in different areas. Our recycling systems are designed to be all-in-one solutions that allow you to capture multiple waste streams in one location, but with the variety of streams you are required to collect, you may need to bundle in different ways, or even utilise different bin styles. We have many options for you to choose from, and are on hand should you require advice or support.