Simpler Recycling: what your business needs to know
Businesses across England are adapting to the government’s Simpler Recycling legislation, which aims to make recycling easier, improve recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste sent for disposal.
Since 31 March 2025, the regulations have applied to businesses, charities and public sector organisations with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees. From 31 March 2027, the rules will also apply to micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
If you’re unsure whether your business is compliant, here’s everything you need to know.
What is Simpler Recycling?
Simpler Recycling is a nationwide initiative designed to standardise recycling collections across England. The goal is to ensure that businesses and organisations separate recyclable materials and food waste from general waste, making it easier to recycle more materials and reduce contamination.
The regulations apply to almost all workplaces, including offices, retailers, hospitality venues, schools, healthcare settings, charities and manufacturers.
WRAP England has provided free resources to help you understand why you need to recycle, how to plan, calculate the costs, set up recycling for your business and monitor your recycling service. Find the free resources here.
Key dates
31 March 2025
Businesses and organisations with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees became legally required to comply with Simpler Recycling regulations.
31 March 2027
The exemption for micro-firms with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees ends. From this date, all businesses in England must comply with the same recycling requirements.
Does it affect my business?
Businesses with 10 or more employees
If your organisation has 10 or more full-time equivalent employees, you should already be separating recyclable materials and food waste from general waste. Businesses that are not compliant may face penalties from the Environment Agency.
Businesses with fewer than 10 employees
Micro-businesses have until 31 March 2027 to put compliant waste arrangements in place. If this applies to you, now is the ideal time to review your waste collection services and avoid a last-minute rush.
Multiple sites?
Employee numbers are calculated across the whole organisation, not per location. This means businesses operating several smaller sites are required to comply if their total workforce exceeds 10 full-time equivalent employees.
What does my business need to do?
To comply with Simpler Recycling, businesses must separate the following waste streams:
- Food Waste
Food waste must always be collected separately from all other waste streams. This includes:
- Leftover food
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Meat, fish and bones
- Food preparation waste
- Recyclable materials
The following materials must be separated from general waste:
- Paper and card
- Plastic
- Metal
- Glass
Depending on your waste collector’s arrangements, these materials may be collected together or separately. Paper and card may need to be kept separate from other dry recyclables in some collection systems.
- General Waste
Any waste that cannot be recycled should be placed in your general waste container.
What will my bin setup look like?
For most businesses, compliance can be achieved with between three and four waste containers:
- General waste
- Dry mixed recycling
- Glass recycling (where required)
- Food waste
The exact number and size of containers will depend on the amount and type of waste your business produces.
What happens if I don’t comply?
The Environment Agency is responsible for enforcing workplace recycling requirements in England. Businesses that fail to comply may receive compliance notices and could face further enforcement action if issues are not addressed.
Reviewing your waste arrangements now can help avoid disruption, unnecessary costs and potential enforcement action in the future.
How Bristol Waste can help
Regardless of the size of your business, our team can help ensure your organisation is compliant with Simpler Recycling.
We provide collections for:
- General waste
- Dry mixed recycling – Paper, Cardboard, Plastic and Metal
- Glass recycling
- Food waste
We can tailor the collection frequencies to your business and support you with any other waste your business may produce.
Our experienced team can guide you through the regulations, recommend the right container sizes and help you maximise recycling while controlling costs.
Why choose Bristol Waste?
When you partner with Bristol Waste, you’ll benefit from:
- Expert local support
- Flexible and reliable collection services
- Competitive, transparent pricing
- Social value delivered as standard, with profits reinvested into essential services across Bristol, including household waste and recycling collections and street cleansing
Get ready for Simpler Recycling
If your business needs support preparing for Simpler Recycling, we’re here to help.
Call 0800 061 4321 or fill out a contact form to receive a callback.
