New Workplace Recycling Rules to Take Effect in the UK: What Businesses Need to Know

From 31 March 2025, new workplace recycling legislation will come into force in England, requiring businesses to adopt stricter waste separation practices. This initiative aims to boost recycling rates, reduce landfill waste, and support the country's environmental goals.

In addition, the UK government has announced significant changes to waste management taxes affecting businesses in England and Northern Ireland, effective from 1st April 2025.

What this Means

Under the new regulations, all businesses, charities, and non-domestic premises must separate their waste into three categories:

• Dry Recyclables: Plastic, paper, metal, cardboard, and glass
• Food Waste: For businesses that produce food waste (e.g., restaurants, offices with kitchens)
• Residual Waste: Non-recyclable materials

Landfill tax rates will rise substantially:

• Standard rate: Increasing from £103.70 to £126.15 per tonne
• Lower rate: Increasing from £3.30 to £4.05 per tonne

Standard rate applies to most general and inert waste, while the lower rate is for less polluting materials like certain soils and demolition waste.

What Businesses need to do

To comply with the new legislation and reduce overall landfill waste (mitigating the increase in taxes), businesses will need to take the following steps:

• Set Up Separate Bins: Install color-coded or clearly labelled bins for dry recyclables, food waste, and residual waste
• Arrange Waste Collection: Partner with a licensed waste collector to ensure separate collections for each waste stream
• Educate Employees: Train staff on how to correctly sort waste and use the new bin system
• Prepare for Compliance Checks: Maintain records of waste management practices to demonstrate compliance to regulators

Smaller businesses with fewer than 10 full-time employees will have until 31 March 2027 to implement these changes.

Why this Matters

The legislation and tax increases are expected to significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and cut greenhouse gas emissions by improving recycling rates. Businesses that fail to comply could face fines, enforcement action and reputational damage, as the public will be able to report non-compliant workplaces from April 2025. Businesses may also face greater cost through taxation, if they don’t actively reduce the amount of waste they send to landfill.

Advice and Support

To assist businesses, the government has launched resources such as the Business of Recycling Website, offering sector-specific guidance and tools to ease the transition.

By adopting these measures, businesses can help build a greener future and play their part in the UK's sustainability efforts.

Shop our full range of products to help your business comply with these new regulations