Simpler Recycling – New Legislation Alert! 🚨

Posted on March 12th 2025 by Libby Collins.

Simpler Recycling – New Legislation Alert! 🚨With Global Recycling Day around the corner, a new Legislation is about to take place. From March 31st 2025, establishments with over 10 employees must offer multi-stream recycling.

What waste do I need to separate? ♻️

Dry recyclables are:

Glass – such as drinks glasses and rinsed, clean empty food jars
Metal – such as drinks cans and clean empty food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, aluminium and food trays.
Plastic – such as rinsed empty food containers and bottles
Paper and cardboard – such as old newspapers, envelopes, boxes and packaging

Food waste is:

Scrap food leftovers
Waste generated by preparing food (vegetable peels, skin etc)

Black bin waste is:

Absorbent hygiene products such as nappies
Food packaging that cannot be washed

Where does this new Legislation apply? 🏫

Retail / Wholesale
Offices
Hospitality
Health and Social care
Education
Food manufacturing
Transport and Storage sectors
care homes
charities and those registered as charities
places of worship
penal institutes (prisons)
charity shops
residential hostels that provide accommodation
premises used only or mainly for public meetings

What are the risks of not adhering to this legislation? 🚫

Waste collectors hold a legal duty to ensure your waste is correctly separated, this means if it isn’t they may refuse to take it away. They can be separately punished and, therefore take importance in this role. If you as a business do not adhere to this legislation, you are at risk of receiving a compliance notice from the Environment Agency. This can turn into a fine.