New commercial waste laws in England: How SLR can help your business prepare

Is your business prepared for the new Simpler Recycling: Workplace Recycling in England [1] rules which will take effect in England from March 2025?

Introduction

From 31 March 2025, new commercial waste laws in England will require businesses to separate dry recycling and food waste from the residual waste stream, in designated bins, for collection by licensed waste carriers.

If a business generates food waste it will be required to segregate and arrange for the separate collection of food waste for treatment through in-vessel composting (IVC) or anaerobic digestion (AD). These processes convert food waste into energy and digestate, which can be used as fertiliser. This legislation, part of DEFRA’s Simpler Recycling initiative, aims to enhance recycling rates, streamline waste management, and benefit the environment by helping England eliminate food waste from landfills by 2030.

The impact on businesses

The new regulations are especially relevant for the hospitality sector, including restaurants, cafes, pubs and takeaways, as well as food producers such as bakeries, greengrocers, and butchers. Additionally, a range of non-domestic properties will also be affected, such as offices, places of education, charities, healthcare facilities, places of worship, care homes, garages, and transport hubs.

Micro businesses (those with fewer than 10 full-time employees) are exempt until 31 March 2027, after which the same requirements will apply.

Current preparedness

Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are unprepared for these upcoming changes. Information shared at a recent Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) event, suggested that 39% of SMEs do not separate waste for recycling, and 66% do not separate food waste. In the hospitality sector, 93% of leaders have expressed concerns about the impact of the new legislation, including availability of space for additional bins and how to identify and engage proactively with collection service providers in support of compliance.

What you can start doing today

With the regulations coming into practice in a matter of weeks, here are some basic steps to follow on the path to compliance.

• Understanding and optimising your waste: SLR can conduct a comprehensive review of your current waste management practices, helping you understand the types and quantities of waste which you produce. Separating food waste and recycling can reduce your waste disposal costs, as food waste and certain recyclable materials such as metals and glass are heavy and can increase residual waste collection fees where a pay by weight service is used. Similarly, bulkier material, such as plastics and cardboard, can increase fees where a more common cost per lift is used. Residual waste collections are typically the most expensive, due to taxes on use of landfill and charges payable at energy from waste facilities.
• Tracking and targeting : Once you have tracked the types, quantities, and disposal routes of your waste, you can then identify ways to reduce waste production and disposal costs. SLR’s bespoke Circularity of Resources Assessment tool supports organisations in understanding their current baseline waste operations and provides actionable insights into how to improve waste management across their business. This proactive approach not only provides key insights into your data, assisting with a variety of compliance requirements, but it can also help to identify what potential financial savings can be made by moving to more sustainable waste management practices.
• Selecting the right waste provider: Find the appropriate waste provider for your company by benchmarking and comparing options in your area and ranking them based on the priorities of your business such as cost, frequency of collections, and reputation. This ensures you get the best service tailored to your needs.
• Improve your sustainability reputation: When food waste is collected separately, it can be processed to generate renewable power and produce organic fertiliser, contributing to a more circular economy. Organisations that set ambitious, yet realistic waste and circularity targets and achieve ‘green’ standards such as zero avoidable waste to landfill, genuinely enhance their sustainability credentials and reputation.

Our team can work with you on one or all of these steps, navigating the path to compliance while also helping your business realise operational and financial benefits.

Support for new build projects

Waste management is a key consideration for developers and architects on new build projects in the built environment sector (across residential, care, commercial, industrial, and leisure).

Our experienced team offers extensive expertise in providing information and advice on waste management interfaces and containment options. We support our clients and their design teams to ensure developments are compliant and future-proofed for waste management. This includes coordinating with local authority waste officers and preparing an operational waste management strategy for inclusion in the planning application.

SLR is here to support you every step of the way, turning compliance into an opportunity for improvement, growth, and sustainability. Contact us today to learn how we can help your business prepare for the new commercial waste laws.

[1] Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England - GOV.UK