What is Simpler Recycling?
Introduced in 2023 by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), Simpler Recycling was brought in to help make bin day easier, by ending the confusion of what can and can’t be recycled.
By 31st March 2025, all businesses and other non-household premises with 10 or more full-time employees must separate plastic, paper and card, glass, metals (cans, tins and foil) and food waste from general waste, saving valuable resources from going to waste and supporting the circular economy in the UK.
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. For example, if your business has five locations with only two full-time employees based at each, you will still be required to implement the Simpler Recycling regulations. We’ll talk you through this below.
Local Authorities have until the 31st March 2026 to implement these requirements for all residents.
Businesses and other non-household premises with fewer than 10 employees have until 31st March 2027. (Please note this remains subject to legislative confirmation).
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 (houses, flats, flats above shops, etc.)
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).
What does this mean for your business?
Under the legislation, businesses and other non-household premises with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees must:
Segregate and recycle ALL required materials
By the 31st March 2025, your business must segregate the following materials into appropriate containers to enable the recycling of valuable resources. These are:
- Plastic,
- Glass,
- Metal (cans, tins and foil),
- Cartons & tetrapaks,
- Paper and cardboard,
- Food waste.
Glass
- Glass packaging including bottles and jars
Metal
- Steel and aluminium tins and cans
- Steel and aluminium aerosols
- Aluminium foil
- Aluminium food tray
- Steel and aluminium jars and bottle lids
- Aluminium tubes
Paper & Card
All paper and card EXCEPT for the following which CANNOT be recycled:
- Paper and card that contains glitter or foil
- Paper that is laminated
- Stickers and sticky paper
- Padded lined envelopes
- Paperback and hardback books
- Wallpaper
Food
All food intended for human or household pet consumption
Biodegradable material from the processing or preparation of food, including inedible food parts such as bones, eggshells, fruit and vegetable skins, tea bags, and coffee grounds
Plastic
- Plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET, including amorphous, recycled PET), polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
- Pots, tubs and trays made of PET PE/PP plastic tubes larger than 50mm x 50mm
- Cartons for food, drink and other liquids, including aseptic and chilled cartons
- Plastic film packaging and plastic bags made of mono-polyethylene (mono-PE), mono-polypropylene (mono-PP) and mixed polyolefins PE and PP (from 31 March 2027)
Garden
All organic material from the garden EXCEPT for the following which CANNOT be placed in a household garden waste recycling bin:
- Ash,
- Full-sized trees,
- Invasive weeds
- Species, soil,
- Turf cuttings,
- Waste products of animal origin
Defra is currently reviewing how these materials will be collected. They may decide that all plastics, glass, metals, cartons, tetrapaks, paper and cardboard can be co-mingled in one container, referred to as Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR). Or, paper and cardboard may be separated as ‘fibres’. In any outcome, food waste must be separated from recycling and general waste.
By the 31st March 2027, recyclable plastic films must be separated also.
Please note that biodegradable and compostable plastic packaging materials are not collected within any of the above categories. Speak to your local account manager for more information on how to recycle these items or place them in your general waste containers.
31st March 2025:
All businesses and non-household premises (with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees) must implement recycling practices for all recyclable waste streams.
31st March 2026:
Local Authorities will be required to collect all six recyclable waste streams (excluding plastic film), from all households. Local authorities must collect food waste weekly (except where a transitional arrangement applies and affected local authorities will have a later implementation date set in regulations).
31st March 2027:
Micro-firms (with under 10 full-time equivalent employees) must comply with the new recycling requirements (subject to final confirmation from Defra).
By this date, all businesses and non-household premises must also separate recyclable plastic films.
We can help you prepare for Simpler Recycling
- Tailored to You: We provide tailored, effective and compliant waste management solutions that best suit your business and the waste your produce.
- Tracking your progress: Through monthly monitoring of your compliance progress, we can provide bespoke recommendations to help you to continue improving.
To Be Confirmed by Government:
Separation of Waste (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2024
Government are still reviewing a few key regulations of this legislation, namely:
- How recyclable materials are collected and which can be mixed.
- The deadline for micro-businesses.
- Minimum collection schedules for general waste for households.
We are working closely with Defra to lobby for a speedy resolution to this review and will keep this webpage regularly updated to help you understand exactly what you need to do to stay compliant.
Binary labelling is due to come into force from April 2027 (under the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme) - this will aid customers in knowing how to correctly dispose of each packaging material. (I.e. simple labelling of either “do recycle” or “do not recycle”).
What about other regions?
Wales:
As of April 2024, it became law for all businesses, other non-household premises and charities in Wales to commence separating their waste for recycling. 6 core waste streams must be segregated, stored and collected separately. These materials are:
- Food (for premises that produce 5kg+ of food waste per week);
- Paper & card;
- Glass;
- Metal, plastic & cartons;
- Unsold textiles;
- Unsold small electrical and electronic equipment (sWEEE).
Scotland:
Any and all organisations in Scotland must currently present the following materials for recycling:
- Glass (including drinks bottles & rinsed empty food jars);
- Metal (including cans, tins);
- Plastic (including, drinks bottles & rinsed empty food containers);
- Paper;
- Cardboard;
- Most urban food businesses will need to present food waste separately for collection (producing 5kg+ of food waste per week; as is also the case in Wales).
How can we help?
Find out more about how we can support your business. Our experts are always on hand to deal with your request.