New simpler recycling rules come into force in England on 31 March 2025 for businesses and households, standardising materials that have to be recycled and for the first time, including the separation of food waste.
All businesses with more than ten employees must have in place separate collections for food waste (this also includes tea bags, residual sandwich parts from supermarkets and cafes, coffee grounds, bones, shells and even flowers), dry mixed recycling (glass, metal, plastics, paper and card) and general waste. For smaller businesses employing under ten people, the deadline is 31 March 2027.
Under the new regulations, businesses must separate their waste streams internally, including any food that staff might make and bring in from home or buy in local cafes and bring back to the office to eat. There is no minimum weight threshold for food waste, all must be collected and presented as a separate stream – even that solitary banana skin.
In the average waste collection, Westminster Council estimates that 33% is food waste, 47% is recyclable and 20% is general waste that is non-recycable.
Segregating waste on site will be different for each business, depending on the sector. Larger hospitality businesses are likely to have well developed systems in place already for their waste streams. For offices the new rules might involve changes to how segregation works for staff and also visitors, ensuring that at every point the different waste streams can be accommodated.
Cleaning and FM teams might need to adopt new simpler labelling systems for bins, add extra bins and re-train cleaning staff, as well as translating stickers into multiple langauges.
Marble Arch BID has many hotel and venue members already separating their food waste, with ambitious targets for reducing food waste. Internal champions weigh food waste and devise measures to reduce food waste, especially at breakfast where there is sometimes a legacy all-you-can-eat culture which generates unecessary food waste. Marriott hotel group have some excellent initiatives, you can read a food waste Q&A here with the lead chef at Marriott Marble Arch.
The new simpler recycling regime will be enforced by the Environment Agency, with non-compliance leading to hefty fines and a criminal prosection.
For those businesses wishing to set up a food waste collection with Westminster Council, who will supply all the materials and collect daily from your business premises, contact the commercial waste team directly or follow the link at the end of this page.
