NEW BUSINESS WASTE LEGISLATION – HOW WILL THIS AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS?

From the 31st March 2025 a new set of legislation commences surrounding business waste. It is aimed at businesses of ten or more employees as the Government aims to reform the business waste system and maximise recycling potential from the economy.

Businesses with less than ten full-time employees have until March 31, 2027 to comply with the new laws.

WHAT IS CHANGING?

• FOOD WASTE – Inline with household collections starting a year later in March 2026 businesses producing 5kg or more of food waste a week will have to have a separate container and collection arranged for this waste by a licenced waste carrier. The government defines food waste to include a wide variety of biodegradable materials such as fruit and vegetable skins/peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, bones, and even spent tea bags!
• SEGREGATION OF WASTE TO MAXIMISE RECYCLING – Businesses will now be required to ensure the following materials are not collected within general waste and are instead recycled. The waste streams impacted are empty:

WHY ARE THE LAWS CHANGING AROUND BUSINESS WASTE?

Over the course of a single year the UK discards upwards of 9.5 million tonnes of food waste – with a significant portion of this ending up in landfill! This represents a lost opportunity for us to recycle this waste by way of anaerobic digestion that produces valuable biofuel to produce power. Not recycling these organic materials also has a negative impact on environment pushing up our greenhouse gas emissions.

The segregation of non-food waste collected also offers and excellent opportunity to maximise our recycling ability and reuse waste by way of treatment to form new products, materials or even fuel power by way of a biomass boiler.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DO NOT COMPLY WITH THESE NEW LAWS?

According to the guidelines issued by the Government failure to comply with these requirements by 31st March 2025 means you may be at risk of receiving a compliance notice from the Environment Agency.

It is an offence to fail to comply with a compliance notice and enforcement action may be taken against you in line with the Environment Agency Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

HOW CAN WE HELP WITH YOUR BUSINESS WASTE?

• Provide a food waste bin – We can provide all internal and external bins required.
• Waste management support – We can collect and dispose of your all your waste on an agreed frequency, as our cleaners are on site, they’ll be organising and putting out your bins for you, all your staff need to do is put their waste in the correct bins

To book your free waste and recycling consultation give our sales team a call today on 01793 547008 or CLICK HERE TO SEND US AN EMAIL