From 31st March, England will become aligned with Wales with new Simpler Recycling Laws, requiring all businesses with 10+ employees to separate dry mixed recyclables (DMR) and food waste from general waste. This new law has two main aims; 1) to increase the recycling rates within the UK which have remained relatively flat since 2010, around 45%; 2) to reduce the volume of food sent to landfill.
What does this mean for your business?
Complying with these new regulations will not only support your sustainability journey but could potentially save your business money. With landfill tax set to rise by 20% in April 2025, reducing the amount of waste you send through a ‘general waste’ stream could reduce your waste management cost.
But most of our waste is sent for Energy from Waste (EfW) by incineration, so we won’t be impacted? Perhaps not immediately. But in 2023, the government announced it’s plans to include EfW in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme, which could see a significant cost of £800million a year to the plant operators in the sector. Whilst many aspects of the scheme are yet to be finalised, it is expected that some of these costs will be passed on to EfW facility customers, like businesses. Therefore, now is the time to implement the change and make waste segregation a good workplace habit.
The Food Waste Problem
Food waste is a significant contributor to both financial and environmental issues. Globally, one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted, contributing to 8-10% of total greenhouse gas emissions. In the UK alone, 40% of food waste ends up in landfills, exacerbating the environmental impact. When dumped in landfill, oxygen is unable to reach the food to cause aerobic digestion and therefore the food undergoes anaerobic digestion, leading to a significant increase in Methane emissions – a much more potent GHG than Carbon Dioxide.
The Timeline
By March 2025
Collections for Dry Mixed Recycling and food Waste
By March 2027
Separation of plastics; Plastic packaging and plastic bags
