This information note summarises information contained in Defra guidance, WRAP guidance, the relevant UK Statutory Instrument, and Defra’s weekly Circular Economy Newsletters.
The information is up to date as of 28 March 2025, however, Defra have acknowledged that additional guidance on certain topics may be useful and they are working with their networks of local authority and waste collector stakeholders to discuss areas for potential additional non-statutory guidance.
Any changes to guidance will be communicated to CIWM members in the Weekly Member Insight newsletter.
Summary
From 31st March 2025, all workplaces in England (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises), except those classified as microbusinesses with less than 10 FTE employees, are required to separately present household-like waste in the following streams:
- Dry recyclables: paper and card, plastics, metal, and glass
- Food waste
- Residual waste
The four dry recyclable material types – paper and card, plastics, metal, and glass – can be collected co-mingled where the waste collector has completed a co-collection assessment. Three containers is therefore the absolute minimum number required – one each for dry recyclables, food waste, and residual waste.
However, workplaces should consult with their waste service providers to determine a service that best suits their needs.
There is nothing to stop a workplace from segregating all of their dry recyclables, indeed the paper & card recyclers actively encourage these materials to be collected separately from the other dry recyclables. It may be financially advantageous for a workplace to consider further segregation, so talk to your collector.
Workplaces can decide on the size of containers and frequency of collections based on the volume of waste they produce.
Workplaces that provide external litter bins are required to separate out the waste collected where it is deemed to be relevant waste (waste which is similar in nature and composition to household waste) and present it according to their waste collection arrangement.
Definitions
The relevant non-domestic premises definition includes :
- 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
- residential hostels which provides accommodation only to persons with no other permanent address or who are unable to live at their permanent address
- premises used wholly or mainly for public meetings
What items are covered under the material categories?
The following dry-recyclable items should be considered as recyclable only where:
- the waste item is empty
- the waste item is not heavily contaminated by other substances
- the waste item is not packaging with the EWC waste code 150110 in the List of Waste ‘Packaging containing residues of or contaminated by hazardous substances’ – which should always be managed as hazardous waste
Dry recyclables – Paper & Card
What is included:
- All types of paper & card except the types listed in ‘What is excluded’.
What is excluded:
- fibre-based composite where the non-paper fibre content is more than 15% by weight
- fibre-based composite which has layers of plastic on both sides (double-sided lamination)
- fibre-based composite cups
- paper and card to which glitter has been adhered
- paper and card to which foil has been adhered, where the non-paper fibre content is more than 15% by weight
- greaseproof, siliconized, or waxed paper
- stickers
- padded polyethylene lined envelopes
- paperback and hardback books
- wallpaper
- absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) including nappies, period and incontinence products
- cotton wool or makeup pads
- tissue or toilet paper
- wet wipes
Dry recyclables – Plastic
What is included:
- polyethylene terephthalate )PET) plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, and tubes,
- polypropylene (PP) plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, and tubes,
- high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, and tubes,
- aseptic and refrigerated cartons made of a fibre-based composite (FBC) – FBC means a material made up of paperboard or paper fibres with a layer of plastic, and which may also have layers of other materials, to form a single unit that cannot be separated by hand
What is excluded:
- any plastic items listed in ‘What’s included’ that do not measure a minimum of 40mm by 40mm
- any plastic items listed in ‘What’s Included’ but which contains any pigment which prevents the item from being near infrared detectable
- film packaging and plastic bags (these will be included from 31 March 2027)
- any plastic packaging or non-packaging items labelled as ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable,’ including coffee pods
- plastic bottles that have contained white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze
- bulky rigid non-packaging plastic items such as garden furniture, bins, and plastic toys
- polystyrene (expanded and high impact) packaging such as packing beads
- polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packaging
Dry recyclables – Metal
What is included:
- steel and aluminium tins & cans
- steel and aluminium aerosols used as packaging
- aluminium foil
- aluminium food trays
- steel and aluminium jars and bottle lids
- aluminium tubes, bottles and jars used as packaging
What is excluded:
- metal packaging that has contained white spirits, paints, engine oils or antifreeze
- non-packaging metal items such as; laminated foil (pet food pouches and coffee pouches), electrical items and batteries, general kitchenware (cutlery, pots, and pans), pipes, etc.
Dry recyclables – Glass
What is included:
- bottles used for packaging
- jars used for packaging
What is excluded:
- any glass items listed in ‘What’s included’ above that do not measure a minimum of 40mm by 40mm
- non-packaging glass items such as; candles, drinking glasses, flat glass, glass cookware (such as Pyrex), light bulbs and tubes, microwave plates, mirrors, vases, window glass, ceramics (such as crockery or earthenware)
Food waste
What is included:
- all food intended for human or household pet consumption, regardless of whether it has a nutritional value
- biodegradable material resulting from the processing or preparation of food, including inedible food parts such as bones, eggshells, fruit and vegetable skins, tea bags and coffee grounds
What is excluded:
- Non-food organic wastes
Note. Workplaces generating 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.
Further guidance and information
- DEFRA Guidance – ‘Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England’, 29 November 2024
- WRAP guidance – ‘The Business of Recycling England’ website
- UK Statutory Instrument – SI2024 No. 666 Environmental Protection England, “The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024”
The post CIWM Member Information Note: An overview of requirements for workplaces under the Simpler Recycling regulations appeared first on Circular Online.