What is Simpler Recycling?
The Simpler Recycling legislation on workplace recycling in England is fast approaching, requiring all workplaces in England with more than 10 full time equivalent staff to separate their food and dry recyclable waste from residual waste by 31st March 2025. This accounts for 10% of the 2.2 million businesses in England with the remainder having until 2027 to be compliant.
The legislation affects a wide range of businesses and non-domestic properties sat within retail and wholesale, offices, hospitality, health and social care, education, food manufacturing, transport and storage sectors. The positive news is many of these companies have made significant progress in introducing recycling schemes to collect dry recyclables and food waste at source in recent years.
Simpler Recycling will help maintain our 99% Landfill Avoidance with waste processing.
By March 31, 2025, all businesses and non-household establishments with 10 or more full-time employees are required to separate plastic, paper and cardboard, glass, metals (including cans, tins, and foil), and food waste from general waste. This initiative aims to conserve valuable resources and promote the circular economy in the UK. Stoke-on-Trent City Council will still collect mixed dry recycling in the same bin, food waste must be separated.
This applies to all businesses and non-household premises, such as schools and hospitals with 10 or more full-time employees, regardless of how many employees are on site at one time.
Businesses and other non-household premises with fewer than 10 employees have until 31st March 2027.
For more information, please visit WRAP
Who is affected by Simpler Recycling?
Everyone in England will be affected by Simpler Recycling but the timeline for businesses and households are different so please read on to find the dates you will need to be ready by.
Households: All properties from March 2026 (houses, flats, flats above shops, etc.) will have additional food waste requirements. Information will be provided at a later date.
Non-household premises: Hospitals, schools and universities, including what are known as Schedule 2 sites: places of worship, penal institutes, charity shops, hostels and public meeting places.
Businesses: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) (businesses with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees) and micro-firms (businesses with under 10 full-time equivalent employees).
Simpler Recycling timeline
Non-Household Premises (Businesses, Hospitals, Schools)
- By 31 March 2025 Mandatory collections for dry recyclable materials (glass, paper, card, metals, plastics) and separate food waste
- By 31 March 2027 Inclusion of plastic film packaging and plastic bags in the plastic waste stream.
- By 31st March 2027 Micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees must recycle all specified waste streams
What does this mean for your business?
All mixed recycling, including cardboard, plastics, glass and metal will need to be separated and disposed of in accordance with the new guidelines. This is to ensure that each material is recycled appropriately. Stoke-on-Trent City Council will still operate a co-mingled recycling service, food waste must be disposed of separately.
If a business with more than 10 employees, producing more than 5kg of food waste per week, it must arrange a separate collection by licensed waste carriers. All biodegradable materials from processing or preparing food will be included. I.e. inedible parts like bones, eggshells, fruit and vegetable skins, tea bags and coffee grounds.
What happens to the food waste collected?
According to guidance issued by Government, all food waste collected must undergo anaerobic digestion treatment. This process generates biofuel, which can be used for energy. The digestate produced is a nutrition-rich substrate that can be used as a fertiliser.
What does my business need to do next?
To comply with the new legislation, businesses must implement the new waste management requirements, including storage and collection, by 31 March 2025. Businesses that fail to comply will face fines, enforcement actions and potentially prosecution.
All dry mixed recycling can be collected into the same bin, food waste must be separated.
- Plastic
- Glass
- Metal (cans, tins and foil)
- Cartons & tetrapaks
- Paper and cardboard
To arrange a Trade Waste collection service, and enquire about the service Stoke-on-Trent City Council provides, please email: Trade.Waste@Stoke.gov.uk
Find out more about Trade Waste
What can Stoke-on-Trent City Council do you for you?
We provide local, tailored, effective and compliant waste management services that best suit your business and the waste you produce.