Last Updated on 15 September 2025 by Kim Ormsby
The UK Government is introducing new processes to reduce waste and increase recycling rates across the UK as part of its 2021 Environment Act. These simplified reforms will mean that everyone across England will be able to recycle the same items at home, work or school. This will help to achieve the Government’s Net Zero strategy target to eliminate biodegradable waste sent to landfill from 2028.
Following the reforms everyone will be required to separate food waste and dry recycling from their residual (non-recyclable) waste. Separating food waste in particular will be the most significant change for businesses.
This means that businesses and organisations will need to have a comprehensive understanding of the types and frequency of waste generated, as well as the appropriate methods for its storage and collection, in order to comply with the new legislation.
Although these changes won’t be enforced until March 2025, DEFRA is recommending that all businesses begin implementing the new storage and collection methods now, so as not to get caught out, and avoid penalty charges. This means that, whether you’re a GP surgery, pharmacy, laboratory, dental clinic, care home or a healthcare related business, including hospitals, these changes will affect you.
Why the change?
Recycling rates in England have increased from 11% to 42% in the years between 2000 and 2022. However, recycling rates have since plateaued at around 42% to 44%. The Government hopes that consistency across counties, businesses and households, will make it easier for people to do the right thing, and drive up recycling rates across England.
Municipal food waste collections in particular will reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill, where it releases harmful greenhouse gases. Food waste that is collected can undergo treatment by anaerobic digestion (AD), which presents the best environmental outcome for unavoidable food waste.
Food waste can be reprocessed to create organic fertiliser and biogas. Fertiliser can be spread to land ensuring nutrients are recycled, creating a more circular economy, and biogas can be used to generate electricity, bolstering the country’s energy security. The improved recycling system will support investment in domestic reprocessing facilities, creating UK jobs and increasing resource security.
What are the new rules?
All non-household municipal premises in England (such as businesses, schools and hospitals), must make arrangements to have the same set of recyclable waste streams collected for recycling or composting as local authorities, and must present their waste in accordance with these arrangements to their private waste collections provided.
The recyclable waste streams include:
- Paper and card (besides those that contain other materials like glitter, foil, and lamination, padded envelopes, stickers, and both paperback and hardback books)
- Plastic (including cartons for food, drink and other liquids, including aseptic and chilled cartons, plastic film packaging and plastic bags)
- Glass (including bottles and jars)
- Metal (including aerosols containers, tins and cans, foils, food trays, jar and bottle lids)
- Food waste (including all food intended for human or household pet consumption, and biodegradable material resulting from the processing or preparation of food including inedible food parts such as bones, eggshells, fruit and vegetable skins, tea bags and coffee grounds)
Who do the rules apply to?
All non-household municipal premises, except micro-firms (businesses with less than 10 full-time employees), will be required to make arrangements for separate food waste collections and to present the waste in accordance with the legislation by 31st March 2025. Micro-firms will have extra time to adapt to the new requirements, and will have to implement the changes by 31st March 2027.
This phasing period will provide additional time for smaller businesses to prepare, by accessing support tools being developed by WRAP, which will help to ensure that businesses transition to the new requirements in the most cost-effective way possible.
How should you prepare?
Businesses and organisations will need to have a comprehensive understanding of the types and frequency of waste generated by their operations, and appropriate methods for storage and collection of waste produced. This will be necessary to comply with the new legislation.
In readiness for the change, we would advise businesses in the healthcare sector to:
- Look closely at your current processes for waste management
- Record and understand the type and volume of waste produced by your business/organisation
- Get ahead and speak to – or ask your waste management service provider to speak to – your waste food collection organisations to organise the best system for waste storage and collection going forward.
- Seek advice to fully understand the specific details of the new regulations and the impact on your specific business/organisation
Should you take action early? In a word – yes
Separated food waste is up to five times cheaper to dispose of per kilo than general waste. By lightening the load in your general waste through the removal of waste food, it is possible that your business could actually save money, even ahead of the new changes.
Reducing the frequency of general waste collections, by segregating food waste so that it can be treated to generate renewable energy or biofertilizer, will also mean businesses will be one step closer to becoming zero landfill, and to hitting their own environmental targets.
To find out more, visit the government website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/simpler-recycling-collections-and-tougher-regulation-to-reform-waste-system
