Business recycling

What is changing?

The law is changing in England and Simpler Recycling will require businesses by 31 March 2025 to recycle the following materials:

• Food waste
• Paper and card
• Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and cartons
• Metal tins and cans, foil and empty aerosols

Who needs to act?

All businesses that have 10 or more full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, will need to act now. This also includes:

• Care homes
• Educational establishments
• Healthcare establishments
• Places of worship
• Penal institutes
• Charity shops
• Residential hostels
• Premises used for public meetings

What should I do now?

Joint Waste Solutions do not offer waste collection services to businesses.

So either speak to your current waste collector to check if your current services meet the requirements or if you need to make any changes.

Or there are various private contractors in the local area who offer recycling services for businesses which can be found online. Before entering into a contract, businesses have a duty to make sure that the contractor is registered as a ‘waste carrier’ by the Environment Agency and are fully compliant under the Duty of Care section of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 legislation.

To find out more about business recycling, you can find helpful guidance here: Business of Recycling | WRAP

What changes are coming next?

By 31 March 2027 the exemption for small businesses will end and the same requirements will apply to businesses with less than 10 full-time equivalent employees.

From 31 March 2027 all businesses will also need to recycle plastic films.