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Simpler recycling – commercial
New regulations will soon require your business to separate recyclable materials from your general waste.
From the 31 March 2025 businesses will need to separate the following groups of recyclable materials:
- Glass, metal and plastic
- Cardboard and paper
- Food as a dedicated collection
The new guidelines apply to all businesses, healthcare establishments and academic institutions but small businesses with fewer than 10 full-time employees are temporarily exempt until the 31 March 2027.
What you need to know
The law is changing in England which will require you / your workplace to recycle a core set of recyclable materials.
By 31 March 2025 – if you have 10 or more fulltime equivalent (FTE) employees. By 31 March 2027 – if you have fewer than 10 FTE employees in total across all your premises.
You will need to recycle the following materials. Your waste collector will tell you which materials can go in the same bin for collection.
- Food waste.
- Paper and card.
- Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and cartons.
- Metal tins and cans, foil and empty aerosols.
- Glass bottles and jars.
- Plastic films (from 2027).
All workplaces in England, including:
- Businesses.
- Care homes.
- Educational establishments.
- Healthcare establishments.
- Places of worship.
- Penal institutes.
- Charity shops.
- Residential hostels.
- Premises used for public meetings.
Speak to your waste collector to check if your current services meet the requirements or if you need to make any changes.
- Tell your staff about any new processes and how to recycle correctly. This might include signage on bins.
- Decide how frequently you’re recycling, and food waste collections should be based on the amount of waste you produce.
- For more detail on the actions you need to take, you should check the guidance in the Toolkit on the DEFRA website.
If you are a customer of North Lincolnshire Council, please do not make any changes to separate cardboard from plastic and tins. We’re working with the relevant authorities to seek a temporary exemption while we address necessary changes to disposal contracts, bins, and vehicles.
Please note that commercial waste cannot be placed into domestic containers at your home address or taken to the household recycling centres.
Additional support provided by the Waste and Resources Action Plan (WRAP)
Defra has funded the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to develop the Business of Recycling website. This provides guidance and resources for specific business sectors and non-domestic premises such as schools and hospitals, on how to make the changes required. The website also includes a waste calculator, that gives businesses the potential costs of their waste collection service, and ideas to improve waste efficiency.
- Recycling Guide
- Waste Calculator
- Recycling resources (Case studies, posters, templates)
- Frequently Asked Questions
Defra have hosted a series of webinars to support workplaces to understand the reforms, provide guidance on how they should be implemented, and answer in-depth questions directly from stakeholders.
The links are as follows:
- Simpler Recycling Webinar – Hospitality sector
- Simpler Recycling Webinar – Food and Drink manufacturers/retailers – 27 February 2025 – 10am to 11.15am – sign up here.
If you need further advice, send us an email or pick up the phone and speak to one of our commercial waste advisors who will be happy to help.