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The Business of Recycling

Somebody placing a plastic bottle in a plastic recycling bin

New regulations will soon require your business to separate recyclable materials from your general waste.

You have until 31st March 2025 to get ready, unless you're a smaller business with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees, in which case you'll have until 31st March 2027.

You will need to separate the following recyclable materials for recycling:

  • Glass such as drinks bottles and rinsed empty food jars
  • Metal such as drinks cans and food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, aluminium food trays and tubes
  • Plastic such as rinsed empty food containers and bottles
  • Paper such as old newspapers and envelopes
  • Cardboard such as delivery boxes and packaging
  • Food leftovers or waste generated by food preparation
Glass bottles
Metal cans
Plastic bottles
Waste paper
Food waste
Cardboard

It’s compulsory for businesses to arrange a separate collection of these materials, so they can be recycled efficiently.

Ready to get started?

Our 5-step guide can help you to:

  1. Understand why your business needs to recycle
  2. Plan your recycling needs
  3. Calculate the collection cost of your waste
  4. Set up recycling for your business
  5. Monitor your recycling service
WRAP
Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs

Brought to you by WRAP, in partnership with DEFRA.

Try our waste calculator

Optimise your waste collection

Use our business waste calculator to find out more about how you can save money by recycling. 

Communication resources to promote recycling in the workplace

We have created a suite of downloadable resources that can be used to help you promote recycling.

View Resources
A set of 3 posters communicating recycling points in the workplace

Frequently Asked Questions