If your business has 10 or more employees, it's important to understand the new recycling regulations coming into effect in England on 31 March 2025. These rules will require businesses to separate waste into specific recycling categories.
Starting March 31, 2025, new 'Simpler Recycling' regulations, will be enforced in England, requiring businesses and non-household premises, including schools and hospitals, with 10 or more employees to sort their waste into designated recycling categories in accordance with the arrangements with their waste collector.
Micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees will have until March 31, 2027 to be compliant.
Businesses must separate dry recyclables, food waste and black bin waste.
Dry recyclables include materials like:
Glass (e.g., drinks bottles, food jars)
Metal (e.g., cans, tins, aerosols)
Plastic (e.g., containers, bottles)
Paper & cardboard (e.g., newspapers, boxes)
Food waste includes leftovers and food preparation waste, even in workplaces without a canteen.
Black bin waste includes non-recyclable items such as nappies and heavily contaminated packaging.
Businesses may need to sort paper and cardboard separately from other dry recyclables, such as plastic, metal, and glass. However, if this is not practical, cost-effective, or environmentally beneficial, the waste collector may conduct a written co-collection assessment. It’s essential to discuss this with your waste provider or landlord, depending on who is responsible for arranging waste collection.
By law, waste collectors must ensure that dry recyclables, including plastic, metal, glass, paper, and cardboard, as well as food waste, are kept separate from general waste.
Businesses must comply with these requirements by 31 March 2025, while micro businesses have until 31 March 2027. Failure to do so may result in a compliance notice from the Environment Agency.
A compliance notice may also be issued if waste is not correctly separated according to the waste collector’s guidelines. This responsibility generally falls on the business generating the waste, but landlords or facilities management companies handling waste on behalf of businesses could also be held accountable.
Key Waste Separation Deadlines in England
📅 By 31st March 2025
Businesses and organisations in England with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees must separate recyclable materials from general waste.
🏡 By 31st March 2026
The legislation will expand to households, requiring Local Authorities to provide collection services that enable residents to sort recyclables properly.
👥 By 31st March 2027
The final phase will include businesses with fewer than 10 full-time employees. At this stage, all businesses and households must also separate plastic film, packaging, and bags.
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