Simpler Recycling Law Change: What You Need To Know

Businesses across England should be aware that major changes to workplace recycling legislation are on the horizon, with further requirements due to come into effect in 2027. These changes form part of the Government’s “Simpler Recycling” reforms, designed to standardise waste separation and improve recycling rates across commercial and non-domestic premises.

While the initial rollout began in March 2025 for many businesses, the next key milestone is March 2027, when micro-firms – defined as workplaces with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees – will also be required to comply. This means all businesses, regardless of size, will need to ensure they are correctly separating waste streams into dry recyclables, food waste, and residual waste in line with the new rules.

All businesses and non-domestic premises in England will be legally required to separate their wastes in specific categories as laid out below.

However, businesses considered micro-firms will not have to comply with these changes until March 2027. Micro-firms are workplaces with less than 10 full-time employees (FTEs) in total. This relates to the total number of full time or full-time equivalent employees in a business, rather than in a certain business location. For example, if a business has 3 locations with 5 employees in each location, they have a total of 15 employees.

But for SMEs who employ more then 10 FTEs then they will need to aware of the requirements to separate their recycling waste by March 2025. They should discuss this with their commercial waste contractor (private waste collector or local authority) who will be able to advise them further and ensure they are meting the requirements ahead of the law change on 31 March 2025.

They will need to present the following wastes separated in accordance with the arrangements with their waste collector:

• Dry recyclable materials – plastic, metal, glass, paper and card (more information on separating recyclable material is in the ‘Separating recyclable waste’ section)
• Food waste
• Black bin waste (residual waste)

For workplaces that generate garden waste, there is a legal requirement to sort this in accordance with waste management hierarchy, either recycling or composting this depending on which will produce the better environmental outcome.

Furthermore, workplaces have autonomy to decide themselves on the size of disposal containers they use and the frequency of waste collections, so they can tailor this to best suit their individual operations.

More information can be found here.