New recycling legislation for businesses and non-domestic properties
As from March 2025, new regulations will require your business to separate recyclable materials from your general waste. You must also arrange for these waste streams to be collected separately by a registered waste carrier. This new legislation is aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the commercial sector and promoting sustainability.
The Environment Act 2021 (Sec 57) requires that from 31 March 2025 most businesses will need to have separate collections in place of the following groups of recyclable materials:
- glass, metal and plastic
- cardboard and paper
- food waste as a dedicated collection – businesses must store food waste in separate containers and arranged collection by registered waste carriers
Prepare your Business for Food Waste Collections
The new regulations apply to all businesses, healthcare and educational establishments, although small businesses with fewer than 10 full-time employees are temporarily exempt until 31 March 2027.
There is also no minimum food waste weight for the new regulations to apply.
Rossendale Borough Council Commercial Waste Solutions already provide separate recycling collection services for the following recyclable materials:
- glass, metal and plastic
- separate collections of cardboard and paper
The main change to the Rossendale Borough Council service will be the introduction of a separate weekly food waste collection.
To ensure that your business is legally compliant, we can provide your business with a weekly collection of food waste using either 140 or 240 litre bins . You can have as many of these bins as you need from as little as £4.81 per 140 litre bin empied weekly.
If you are interested in joining our service or would like more information, please submit an online enquiry, email us on trade@rossendalebc.gov.uk or call our dedicated commercial waste team at 01706 217777.
For further information on how these changes affect your type of business, please see WRAP's The Business of Recycling.
Alternatively, further information is available at GOV.UK's Simpler Recycling in England policy update page.