On the 31st of March 2025, business waste regulations are set to change. You must ensure that your business is ready for this. Businesses across England must ensure that all food and dry mixed recyclable waste is separated from other waste streams and left for collection by an approved, licensed contractor.
These come as a part of DEFRA’s Simpler Recycling plans, which aim to improve recycling rates in the UK, whilst also simplifying waste management and benefitting the environment. A mandatory food waste separation law will ensure that less food waste is destined to go to landfills and is disposed of responsibly instead.
Here at REMONDIS, we specialise in business waste collections, and we can help your business ensure legislative compliance and arrange bespoke waste collections to suit your requirements. Call our team or contact us online to prepare your business for the new business waste legislation.
What Is The New Food Waste Legislation?
The new UK food waste legislation is a step towards standardising recycling across England.
It focuses on changing the requirements of food waste separation and collection for both domestic and non-domestic premises. This will lead to most businesses having to arrange separate food waste collections.
If your business generates food waste, you must present it for separate collection via a licensed waste carrier. This includes biodegradable materials such as bones, eggshells, vegetable peelings, tea bags and coffee grounds.
The official government response has noted that the preferred method of food waste disposal is anaerobic digestion treatment. This will allow for the generation of biofuel, and digestate that can be spread on land to make use of the nutrients and create a circular economy.
When Do The New Food Waste Regulations Come Into Effect?
The new food waste regulations, requiring businesses to separate their food waste, will start in the UK on 31 March 2025.
This includes public and third-sector organisations such as schools, prisons and hospitals, whereas micro-businesses (fewer than 10 employees), must comply by 31 March 2027.
Is This Food Waste Legislation Already in Effect in Scotland and Wales?
Businesses in Scotland have been following commercial food waste legislation since 2014, and the regulations were introduced in Wales in April 2024. Should a company generate more than 5kg of food waste each week in Scotland or Wales, they must comply with these new food waste regulations. However, this 5kg threshold does not apply in England so all businesses with more than 10 full-time equivalent employees must comply.
Staying informed about these legislative changes and acting now means your business can lead a positive example and sit at the forefront of environmental-friendly changes in food waste management.
Who Must Comply?
The new food waste legislation is mandatory for all businesses generating more than 5kg of food waste weekly. Under the new regulation, they must separate food waste.
This includes all non-domestic properties in England, covering businesses, prisons, care homes, schools, offices, restaurants, bakeries, pubs, cafes, butchers and many more.
As aforementioned, micro-businesses are exempt from this new food waste regulation until March 2027. However, properly separating food waste is advisable for companies of all sizes and industries.
Why Are The UK Food Waste Regulations Changing?
The UK government aims to divert all food waste from landfill by 2030. These new regulations have been designed to drive England further towards this target.
Every year more than 9.5 million tonnes of food waste is thrown away in the UK. A worrying percentage is not recovered or recycled, meaning it goes to landfill. This contributes to the carbon emissions and greenhouse gases the country will produce, negatively impacting the planet.
What Does This Mean For Your Business?
By 31st of March 2025, you must have implemented new food waste storage and collection processes within your business premises. Therefore, you must understand how waste is produced and at what frequency, to understand how the waste can be stored and collected.
Take the time to understand how your business produces waste and review your current waste management practices. This is where a professional waste carrier can help, by carrying out a waste audit to further configure the best system for your business.
Will Household Food Waste Regulations Be Changing?
From 31 March 2026, all households in England will receive food waste collections weekly. Local authorities and councils will be responsible for arranging this.
Households will receive a small bin or box to separate food waste from general waste and recycling.
This domestic waste will be taken to an anaerobic digestion or composting site to be disposed of responsibly.
How To Prepare For New Food Waste Legislation
If you run a business in the UK, no matter the nature or industry, you must prepare for the new UK food waste legislation and be ready by the 31st of March 2025.
Failure to do so may result in fines and reputational harm through lack of compliance and put your business in front of legal and financial risks.
At REMONDIS, we can help you prepare for these changes and ensure you are fully compliant by the deadline. We’ll work with you to determine the best waste management for your business and arrange collections as and when suits you and the volume of waste produced.
All you need to do is:
- Speak to our team today, or contact us online for a free, no-obligation quote,
- Discuss the size and nature of your business to determine how many bins you need,
- Decide with our team as to whether you require daily, weekly or fortnightly waste collections,
- We’ll then calculate your competitive quote based on your needs and requirements.
