Why your Transport or Storage business needs to recycle
How the Transport and Storage sector can comply with the new workplace recycling legislation
Having looked at the business case for recycling, it’s time to delve into the details of what the new legislation means for your workplace.
What is the new legislation?
Under Section 57 – Separation of Waste, the Environment Act 2021 makes provision for amending the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 45AZA and Section 45AZB) governing the separate collection, in England, of household waste from relevant non-domestic premises.
Businesses and relevant non-domestic premises will need to separate dry recycling (except plastic film) and food waste for recycling by 31 March 2025. If you’re a smaller business, with fewer than ten full-time equivalent employees, you’ve got until 31 March 2027, but it’s a good idea to take the opportunity to comply early – one less thing to worry about!
You’ll need to separate the s for recycling:
Glass, such as drinks bottles and rinsed empty food jars
Metal, such as drinks cans and food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, aluminium foil food trays and tubes
Plastic, including rinsed empty food containers and bottles
Paper and cardboard
Cartons used for food, drinks and liquids
Food waste, including tea bags and coffee grounds, and waste from food preparation
It will be important to make sure you separate out the right recyclable materials and avoid contaminating your recycling with any non-recyclable materials.
Good to know
Keep in mind that all businesses and organisations produce some food waste. The Government hasn't set a minimum food waste weight before the new legislation applies, so it’s likely that this guidance will be relevant to your workplace.
As waste is a , each of the four UK nations has slightly different requirements for recycling. If you are responsible for managing waste in workplaces visit our sister sites in Wales, or Northern Ireland. Similar guidance for Scotland is also available.