New rules surrounding food waste management and recycling take effect from 31 March 2025.
The legislation requires all workplaces to separate the following waste after discussion with their waste collector:
- Dry recyclable materials – plastic, metal, glass, paper and card
- Food waste
- Black bin waste
Most healthcare and social care practices are subject to these changes. Practitioners must identify if their workplace needs to change to meet the new requirements, and what it means for their wider waste management workflows.
Who needs to follow new food recycling rules?
All businesses and non-domestic premises in England are affected by the changes.
The 31 March 2025 date will impact those with more than 10 employees; those with under 10 employees are referred to as ‘micro-firms’, and will follow suit from 31 March 2027. It is the legal duty of all workplaces to ensure that reasonable steps have been taken to apply the waste hierarchy. A dedicated waste management contractor is responsible for the disposal of collected dry recyclables and the management of other residual waste.
Failure to fulfil the new guidelines risks a compliance notice from the Environment Agency. It is a legal offence if you do not follow this, and penalties may be implemented in line with the Environment Agency Enforcement and Sanctions Policy. For a healthcare and social care practice, this represents a potential legal, financial and reputational threat.
How can I follow new food waste management rules?
It is the responsibility of practitioners to ensure they have dedicated collection bins in place for each waste type. Firstly, discuss with a waste collector how dry recyclables are expected to be collected. Some will operate in a way that all items can be stored together, and separated later down the line, others will require each waste stream to be organised at the source.
A waste audit can begin to help businesses assess the scope of the changes required.
Health and social care teams should then organise containers of appropriate sizes to be located in the areas they will be accessed most. For example, a staff kitchen will need separate bins for food waste, black bin waste, and each type of dry recyclable material, but the general office space may only require bins for paper and card, plastic, and black bin waste.
Contact Initial Medical and discuss how we can support you with this new legislation.
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, (2024). Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England. GOV.UK, (Online). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/simpler-recycling-workplace-recycling-in-england#micro-firm-exemption-until-31-march-2027 [Accessed February 2025]
