In this issue of our Governance Blog, we are going to discuss the new laws regarding workplace recycling and how they will apply to your organisation.
The new rules
From 31 March 2025 (or 31 March 2027 for micro-firms), all workplaces (businesses and non-domestic premises, including charities) in England have a legal duty to present the following wastes separated in accordance with the arrangements with their waste collector:
- dry recyclable materials – plastic, metal, glass, paper and card (this may also need to be separated further depending on the requirements of your waste collector (see finding a waste collector below));
- food waste;
- black bin waste (residual waste)
Who must follow the rules?
Any business or workplace premises that generates waste that is similar in nature and composition to household waste must follow these rules across their operations (including for example, staff kitchens).
Finding a waste collector
You should discuss the requirements with your waste collector and arrange separate dry recycling, food waste and black bin waste collection. The waste collector can be a private waste collector, or your local authority may also provide services. If your current waste collector does not offer the full range of collection services, you will need to arrange these services from other providers.
Micro-firm exemption until 31 March 2027
Micro-firms are workplaces with less than 10 full-time employees 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. For counting part-time employees, add a fraction based on their pro-rated hours.
Volunteers are not included in determining the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employee count for a business or non-domestic premise. This includes organisations that have volunteers across multiple premises.
Micro-firms need to comply by 31 March 2027.
Non-Compliance
From April 2025, the general public and other parties will be able to report workplaces that do not follow these rules to the Environment Agency.
If you would like further guidance on this topic, please get in touch with our Core Services Team by telephone on 0191 643 2626 or by email on development@voda.org.uk.
