Recycling Rules Are Changing: How to keep your workplace compliant with Simpler Recycling
With under 2 months until the Simpler Recycling legislation comes into force in 2025, businesses across England and Wales will be required to separate their recyclable waste in line with household recycling rules. For businesses, this means adopting new waste management practices to ensure compliance, avoid penalties, and contribute to sustainability efforts.
If your business hasn’t yet taken steps to prepare, now is the time to act. This guide will walk you through why the rules are changing, what your workplace needs to do, and how to implement these changes efficiently.
Why are recycling rules changing?
The UK government has introduced the Simpler Recycling legislation to standardize waste collection and increase recycling rates across England. Many businesses still send recyclable materials to landfill due to unclear rules or inefficient sorting systems. By aligning business recycling with household recycling, the government aims to:
- Reduce landfill waste and its environmental impact.
- Boost recycling rates and resource efficiency.
- Improve waste management clarity for businesses and local authorities.
This initiative is part of the UK’s broader effort to cut down carbon emissions, reduce pollution, and move towards a more circular economy.
The figure to the left from the UK Government shows the impact of waste reduction strategies on the volume of biodegradable municipal waste heading to landfills in the UK each year. Whilst there have been great increases, the reductions have stagnated in recent years post-pandemic. England is responsible for 81% of UK biodegradable municipal waste being sent to landfills, generating 5.1 million tonnes of the 6.3 million tonnes of UK total in 2022.
One of the issues with food recycling is employee confusion about proper sorting, leading to the contamination of recyclable materials. This is often due to a lack of clear guidelines and education on waste segregation. Additionally, insufficient resources, such as inadequate bin availability and inconvenient placement, discourage proper waste separation. Implementing effective recycling programs requires comprehensive planning, employee education, and ongoing monitoring to overcome these obstacles.
What workplaces have to follow the rules?
Any business that generates waste will have to comply with the new Simpler Recycling legislation, the following is not an exhaustive list but it does illustrate some of the main industries to be conscious of:
- offices
- retail and wholesale
- transport and storage
- hospitality, such as cafes, restaurants, and hotels
- places of education, such as schools, colleges, and universities
- healthcare places, such as GP surgeries and hospitals
- care homes
- charities and those registered as charities
- places of worship
- penal institutes
- charity shops selling donated goods that came from a domestic property
- residential hostels that provide accommodation to people with no other permanent address or who are unable to live at their permanent address only
- premises used only or mainly for public meetings
What are the safety implications?
With those in the EHS field increasingly finding the environment side of the role a large part of total work, ensuring compliance with the legislation will likely fall under the remit of many in the profession. In addition to the obvious compliance and environmental impacts, there are also some auxiliary safety considerations to keep in mind:
Reduced contamination risks – Properly sorting waste minimises cross-contamination of hazardous and non-hazardous materials, lowering risks for workers handling waste.
Fire safety improvement – Clear separation of flammable waste, like paper and plastics, from general waste can reduce fire hazards in workplaces, particularly in warehouses and manufacturing sites.
Workplace hygiene and pest control – Better waste segregation reduces food waste contamination in general bins, helping prevent vermin infestations and maintaining a more hygienic workplace.
Manual handling considerations – The requirement to separate waste could mean changes in waste bin locations and collection methods, requiring businesses to reassess lifting techniques and equipment to avoid musculoskeletal injuries.
Compliance with waste storage safety regulations – Businesses will need to ensure that separate waste bins are stored safely and do not obstruct fire exits, walkways, or emergency access points.
What do businesses need to do?
To stay compliant with the Simpler Recycling legislation coming into effect in 2025, businesses must separate their waste into designated streams—including paper and cardboard, plastics and metals, glass, food waste, and general waste.
Workplaces will need to conduct a waste audit, set up clearly labeled recycling stations, and provide employee training to reduce contamination. Partnering with a compliant waste collection service is crucial to ensure proper disposal.
Additionally, businesses should explore waste reduction strategies, such as going paperless and using reusable office supplies. Regular monitoring and adjustments will help maintain compliance and improve recycling efficiency, ultimately contributing to sustainability and cost savings.
Key UK waste statistics 2023/2024
The efforts form part of the wider UK plans to reduce waste, the below statistics show there is a long way to go for the country but provide interesting insight into the trends around waste management.
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Packaging waste recycling: In 2023, the UK achieved a packaging waste recycling rate of 64.8%, up from 62.4% in 2022.
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Recycling rates by material: In 2023, recycling rates for specific materials were:
- Paper and Cardboard: 73.4%
- Metal: 71.2%
- Glass: 67.8%
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Food waste: The UK wastes approximately 9.5 million tonnes of food annually, with households responsible for 70% of this total.
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Landfill tax increase: As of April 2024, the standard rate of landfill tax in the UK increased to £126.15 per tonne, up from £103.70.
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Plastic packaging tax: From April 2024, the rate of Plastic Packaging Tax increased to £217.85 per tonne, up from £210.82, to encourage the use of recycled plastic in packaging.
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Recycling rate in Wales: In the 2023-2024 period, Wales reported a recycling rate of 66.6% for local authority municipal waste, exceeding its statutory target of 64%.
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Recycling in Northern Ireland: In 2023-2024, approximately 51% of waste was recycled, composted, or reused in Northern Ireland.
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Disposable vapes waste: As of 2024, eight million disposable vapes are discarded weekly in the UK, with 61% of users binning them instead of recycling, leading to significant environmental concerns.
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Unnecessary plastic packaging: A 2024 report identified that over 50% of plastic packaging in UK supermarkets is unnecessary and could be replaced with sustainable alternatives.
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Landfill usage in Essex: In 2024, data revealed that Essex County Council sent 95% of its non-recycled waste to landfill, the highest rate among local authorities in England.
