From 31 March 2025 (or 31 March 2027 for micro-firms), all workplaces (businesses and non-domestic premises) 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 (more information on separating recyclable material is in the ‘Separating recyclable waste’ section)
• food waste
• black bin waste (residual waste)

Workplaces that generate garden waste have a legal duty to manage it in accordance with the waste hierarchy and arrange for it to be recycled or composted if it delivers the best environmental outcome.

Workplaces can decide on the size of containers and frequency of collections based on the volume of waste they produce. You do not need to provide bins for your customers, however, if you provide bins, you will need to separate dry recyclable waste, food waste and black bin waste.

Workplaces that must follow these 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). This includes all relevant non-domestic premises, such as:

• offices
• retail and wholesale
• transport and storage
• hospitality, such as cafes, restaurants, and hotels
• places of education, such as schools, colleges, and universities
• healthcare places, such as GP surgeries and hospitals
• care homes
• charities and those registered as charities
• places of worship
• penal institutes
• charity shops selling donated goods that came from a domestic property
• residential hostels that provide accommodation to people with no other permanent address or who are unable to live at their permanent address only
  premises used only or mainly for public meetings

This is not a complete list and there are others. If you are unsure if the rules apply to your business, you can check the legislation.

Separating recyclable waste

You need to separate paper and card from other dry recyclables (plastic, metal and glass), unless your waste collector collects them together. Waste collectors may also choose to collect other dry recyclable materials separately, like glass. You should discuss how your dry recyclable waste will be collected with your chosen waste collector.

You must always separate dry recyclable waste, food waste and black bin waste from each other.

Dry recyclable waste is:

• glass – such as drinks bottles and rinsed empty food jars
• metal – such as drinks cans and rinsed empty food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, aluminium food trays and tubes
• plastic – such as rinsed empty food containers and bottles
• paper and cardboard – such as old newspapers, envelopes, delivery boxes and packaging

Food waste is:

• food leftovers
• waste generated by preparing food (of any volume, including if the workplace does not serve food or have a canteen)

Black bin waste or residual waste is:

• absorbent hygiene products such as nappies
• highly contaminated materials like food packaging that cannot be washed

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.

You must make sure that the company is registered on the Public Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers.

Micro-firm exemption until 31 March 2027