Frequently Asked Questions

The new recycling regulations require businesses in seven primary industry sectors to separate food waste, glass, plastics, metals, paper and cardboard from their general waste for recycling. The seven sectors covered under the new regulations are:

Health and social care

Human health and social care activities provided by private or public providers including hospitals, GP surgeries, dentists, opticians, ambulance and other medical transport services, pharmacies, physiotherapists, podiatrists, chiropractors, mental health services, residential, nursing and respite care home providers. 

Hospitality

Hotels, restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, quick service restaurants, hostels, motels, serviced apartments, bed and breakfasts, self-catering accommodation, catering businesses, bars, public and private sector canteens, school meals kitchens. 

Retail and wholesale

Wholesale and retail operations including those in the trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles. Includes online retailers and wholesalers as well as those from a fixed operating base.  

Transport and storage

Land, water and air transport operations including bus terminals, train stations, motorway service stations, ports and airports, warehousing providers, logistics and support activity providers, postal and courier services. 

Food and drink manufacturing

Food and drink product manufacturers including of alcoholic beverages such as brewers, wine producers and distilleries. 

Education

Universities, further or higher education colleges and providers, private and public schools, nurseries, kindergartens.  

Office and service sector

Public and office administration, publishers, security providers, building and landscape service providers, TV, sound and film production companies, programmers and broadcasters, telecoms providers, financial service providers, legal and accountancy services, gambling and betting activities, advertising and market research organisations, travel agencies, libraries, archives and museums, arts and entertainment providers, sports, amusement and recreation providers, computer programming providers and repairers, consultants, architectural and engineering services, veterinary providers, employment providers and member organisations. 

In addition, the following relevant non-domestic premises will also be required to start recycling:

• places of worship;

• penal institutions;

• charity shops selling donated goods originating from domestic premises;

• residential hostels which provide accommodation only to persons with no other permanent address or who are unable to live at their permanent address; and

• premises used wholly or mainly for public meetings.

New legislation comes into force soon that will require all businesses, health and social care establishments and academic institutions to separate a number of recyclables from their general waste. These include glass bottles and jars, metal food and drinks cans, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, paper and cardboard and food waste.

Businesses and organisations with ten or more full-time employees are required to make arrangements for the collection of:

• Dry recyclable materials (except plastic film) by 31 March 2025

• Food waste by 31 March 2025

• Plastic film by 31 March 2027

Businesses and organisations with fewer than ten full-time employees (classed as micro-firms) are required to make arrangements for the collection of:

• Dry recyclable materials (including plastic film) by 31 March 2027

• Food waste by 31 March 2027

The new regulations will mean that in future, no waste from businesses can be sent for disposal unless it can be shown to have gone through a treatment process. The simplest way to provide this treatment is to separate your waste for reuse or recycling. The aim is to increase recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste we send for disposal. It will also help reduce your business costs, save energy, conserve natural resources and protect the environment.  

You’ll need to obtain a waste transfer note from the company or companies collecting your waste. Keep this document for two years, as you may be asked to present it if an enforcement officer from your local council or the Environment Agency ask to see it. 

If you transport your own waste between stores, depots or distribution hubs, you’ll also need to register as a waste carrier. 

No, all registered waste collection companies in England, whether public or private sector, will be required to collect business waste in this way in future from 31 March 2025 (31 March 2027 for businesses with fewer than ten full-time employees). Both councils and waste service providers will therefore be reviewing their services and encouraging more businesses to recycle as much as they can.   

As a business or organisation you have a Duty of Care to store the waste your organisation produces safely and to dispose of that waste using a registered waste carrier.

Find out more about Duty of Care

Make sure any waste contractor you use is registered to dispose of your waste, visit the Public Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers

The new regulations will affect all businesses, so you’ll still need to follow them even if you only produce a small amount of waste. Existing regulations also place what’s known as a Duty of Care on all businesses who produce waste, regardless of the amount, and require anyone dealing with waste to keep it safe, make sure it’s dealt with responsibly and only given to businesses authorised to take it.  

Yes, you both do.

If your landlord employs a waste company for you, or you have a waste management contractor, this company has a legal obligation to ensure any separated collected recyclables are sent for recycling and that any waste is correctly disposed of.

As the waste producer, you should ensure that your business or organisation is fully compliant with waste regulations such as the Food Waste Regulations and that you are separating food waste to ensure it can be recycled.

It’s likely that an enforcement officer from your local council or the Environment Agency will conduct routine spot checks and ask to see evidence that you’re complying with the new rules. ​​If you aren’t separating recyclables from general waste, your business could face a fine.  

This website is the best place to source information and advice on how to implement recycling in the workplace, but you can also find guidance on disposing of commercial waste here. Visit Guardians of Grub for specific information and resources on reducing and managing food waste or visit the hospitality sector guidance we've now produced. 

As a business, you have a legal responsibility to ensure that you produce, store, transport and dispose of your business waste without harming the environment. This is called your Duty of Care, and it’s a requirement of law under the section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (the EPA).  

If your facilities management company manages your waste for you, they’re responsible for ensuring that recyclables are separated, but you’ll need to keep it separate so that they can do this.  

Upcoming legislation changes mean that waste and recycling service providers will have to change too – they’ll need to provide services that comply with the new regulations to ensure that your waste contract will be valid in law, or the contract they hold with you could become void. It’s likely they’re already preparing for this, and they may already be reviewing or finalising new systems. Speak to your provider to find out how the changes they’re planning will affect you. 

Under Section 57 – Separation of Waste, the Environment Act 2021 makes provision for amending the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 45AZA and Section 45AZB) governing the separate collection, in England, of household waste from relevant non-domestic premises.

Yes, the regulations apply to your organisation/workplace. They apply to any organisation or workplace that produces waste similar in nature to household waste, such as packaging made from glass, metal, plastic, paper or cardboard and food waste.

Here is a full list of the recyclable materials you are required to collect for recycling. 

Yes, If you sell electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations require you to provide a way for your customers to dispose of their old household electrical and electronic equipment when you sell them a new version of the same item., These regulations apply regardless of how you sell the products – online or in a store.  

Regulations also require you to offer a free collection or ‘take-back’ service for waste or used batteries if you sell or supply 32kg or more of portable batteries per year. This is the equivalent of selling one pack of 4 AA batteries per day over a year. If you sell over the 32kg threshold, you’ll need to have a collection point at your premises. These rules apply whether you run a shop, a chain of shops or sell batteries online, by mail order or telephone. 

New legislation came into force on 1 October 2023 preventing retailers from supplying, selling, or offering a range of single-use plastic items, including: 

• Plates 

• Trays 

• Bowls 

• Cutlery 

• Balloon sticks  

• Certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers, unless an exemption applies.  

Further products will be banned from sale in 2024, including single- use carrier bags. 

 If you continue to supply banned single-use plastics after 1 October 2023, you could be fined.  

Businesses and non-household organisations with 10 or more FTEs will be required to separate food waste for collection by 31 March 2025. All businesses will be required to comply by 31 March 2027. The new regulations introduced by the Environment Act 2021, will mean that food waste can no longer be put in your general waste bin and must be stored and collected separately. Disposal of food waste to landfill or into the sewer system (even if pre-treated) should only be carried out as a last resort in accordance with the food and drink waste hierarchy.

The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have implemented separate regulations to restrict or prohibit the use of macerators and disposal of food waste to the sewer. In the 21 October 2023 Simpler Recycling consultation response, government publicly stated that: “We are seeking to do further research into food waste treatment technologies to provide greater clarity on this issue.”

The new regulations require businesses and non-domestic premises to separate dry recyclable materials and food waste from their general waste. Those with 10 or more full time equivalent (FTE) employees must be separating their dry recyclables and food waste from their general waste before the 31 March 2025. However micro-firms, those with fewer than 10 full time equivalent employees, have until the 31 March 2027. 

A micro-firm is defined as any producer of non-household municipal waste with fewer than 10 FTE employees. FTE employment is measured per enterprise rather than per unit, therefore multi-branch enterprises or franchises that employ over 10 FTE across multiple units must be separating their dry recyclables and food waste from their general waste before the 31 March 2025.  

A full-time equivalent employee is an employee who has a contract of employment with that business or organisation. Staff who are not on your payroll such as Agency Workers or Consultants should be excluded from an organisations FTE count unless they are directly employed by the organisation via a contract of employment. 

Private and public waste collectors operate all over the UK. Your local council may also provide suitable services. The internet is a good place to start looking for options but remember to ensure that any company you approach is a registered waste carrier – you can check this at the Public Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers. 

​​​Your council may accept business waste at its public Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs), but you’ll need to contact them first to make sure. They may have specific requirements for how to bring your waste, such as in bags. Bear in mind that you’ll be charged for its disposal, as HWRCs are only free of charge for householders. For small quantities there’s likely to be a minimum charge.  

If you carry your own waste, or do so on behalf of a third party, you’re legally required to register with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier. Other licensed waste transfer stations may also offer ‘self-tip’ recycling facilities for small businesses, so contact them for details of what materials they accept and for their minimum tonnages and charges.  

No, waste collection costs aren’t included in business rates, so you’ll need to pay for such services separately. This does mean you can choose who collects your waste and recycling, though!  

Most waste collection companies and councils allow you to make payments for a full contract year, quarterly or spread over the year in instalments via direct debit. 

Most waste companies and councils offer rolling contracts of 12 months and should be flexible on collection frequencies (usually weekly, fortnightly or monthly). A weekly collection is most common, but educational establishments may need this reducing to 42 weeks a year in line with the academic year.  

This depends on the types and amount of waste and recycling your business produces. The costs for recycling are usually much lower than for general waste, as you’ll avoid having to pay waste disposal costs.   There’s likely to be a separate annual admin fee for providing a Duty of Care/Waste Transfer Note – this is a legal document that shows your business is disposing of the waste you’re producing in a responsible manner.  

Yes, there are a number of organisations that may be able to assist with redistributing usable equipment, either within your wider organisation or out into the community. These include: 

• Disabled Equipment Sent Overseas (DESO), based in Ashford, Kent recycles and ships a range of equipment to people in need. 

• Grace Cares – accepts used health and social care equipment such as walking and mobility aids, bathing seats and crutches, passing on these and other items to new users at affordable prices  

• Jacob’s Well Appeal, based in Beverley, East Yorkshire – sends medical aid to countries struggling with lack of medical and surgical items, including donations from the NHS, such as walking frames and unwanted mechanical beds, and bandages and gloves near the date line from manufacturers. 

• Limbcare, based in Farnborough, Surrey – accepts mobility aids such as wheelchairs (manual and powered), crutches and mobility scooters. 

• Mid-Devon Mobility – refurbishes unwanted, abandoned and unused mobility equipment. 

• The Mobility Equipment Recycling Scheme, based in Warrington – runs a scheme called LovedB4, which recovers, recycles and reuses electric mobility scooters and wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, crutches and wheeled and framed walkers. 

• PhysioNet, based in North Yorkshire – accepts equipment donations from across mainland UK, donating it to communities overseas. 

Warp It, which is already used by the NHS, is an easy-to-use online platform for organisations to redistribute (give or loan) resources legally and conveniently within or outside your organisation. The platform: 

• Makes it easy for staff in an organisation to find colleagues with items to spare at the same organisation or beyond, reducing procurement spend 

• Makes it easy for people within an organisation who wish to part with items to find new owners, saving on waste disposal 

The following materials must be collected in the dry recyclable waste streams:

Glass

• Glass packaging, including bottles and jars

Metal

• Steel and aluminium tins and cans

• Steel and aluminium aerosols

• Aluminium foil and food trays

• Steel and aluminium jars and bottle lids

• Aluminium tubes

Plastic

• Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays

• Cartons for food, drink and other liquids, including aseptic and chilled cartons

• Plastic film packaging and plastic bags

  Tip: If your service provider collects plastic separately from other dry materials, collecting cartons in the plastic recyclable waste stream will mean more cartons can be effectively sorted and reprocessed.

All paper and card except:

• Paper and card that contains glitter or foil

• Laminated paper

• Stickers and sticky paper

• Padded lined envelopes

• Paperback and hardback books

• Wallpaper

You’ll need to collect the following materials in the food waste stream:

• All food intended for human or household pet consumption, regardless of whether it has any nutritional value

• Biodegradable material resulting from the processing or preparation of food, including inedible food parts such as bones, eggshells, fruit and vegetable skins, tea bags and coffee grounds

You’ll need multiple containers to keep the various types of your recycling separate from your general waste and ready for collection. You’ll also need to make sure you have enough space for them. Read Step 4 to learn more about the practicalities, including providing easy access for employees and waste contractors and ensuring containers don’t cause health and safety or fire risks. The Government has more on storing your waste safely and securely.  

​​​If you’re struggling to make sure your employees and/or customers are putting rubbish and recyclables in the right bins, it may help to review your communications. Providing clear information about what can and can’t be collected in waste and recycling containers will help staff understand which materials go where, and you could provide training to help ensure they know how to separate waste effectively. We’ve also produced a range of recycling posters, staff training materials and resources to help spread the word. Try to ensure that your bins aren’t accessible to people who shouldn’t be using them; Where this isn’t possible – because your bins are kept in an alley way, for example – ask your waste services contractor to supply you with lockable bins.

Yes, you’ll need to enlist a specialist waste company to safely collect, transport and dispose of hazardous or clinical waste. Common hazardous waste types that are unsuitable for general disposal or recycling include: 

• Asbestos 

• Batteries 

• Cooking oils, fats and greases

• Electrical appliances 

• Fluorescent light tubes 

• Fridges, freezers and air-conditioning units 

• Gas bottles and canisters 

• Hazardous or toxic waste 

• Liquids 

• Medical waste 

• Mercury 

• Oil, fuel and other automotive fluids 

• Paints (including residues inside paint cans) and solvents 

• Plasterboard 

• Roofing felt containing bitumen 

• Tyres 

Although you’ll need to separate recyclables, you may be able to combine some types into the same container, such as plastics and metals.  Talk to your service provider about their range of container options and preferred so you can optimise your recycling service and make the most of the space you have available.  

Compostable packaging and other compostable products are designed to be broken down in a different way to recyclable packaging, so you should dispose of them through organic waste bins, if possible (check with your service provider), or with your general waste.  

Some specific items, such as food caddy liners, may be industrially compostable materials. These can sometimes be put into food waste bins when they bear the EN 13432/14955 logo, but always check with your waste or recycling service provider first.