A new requirement for all businesses with 10 or more staff to recycle their waste comes into force at the end of the month, with firms that breach the rules facing legal action.
The Simpler Recycling Regulations come into effect on March 31, requiring all companies with 10 or more FTE staff to separate their waste into four categories: dry recycling (glass, metal and plastic); paper and card; food waste; and black-bin landfill waste (with some collectors combining dry, and paper/card waste).
Firms with fewer than 10 employees don’t have to comply with the regulations until March 2027, but larger companies that do not separate their waste face the Environment Agency issuing a compliance notice, a legal document requiring adherence to the rules, with potential “enforcement action” following if the notice is not adhered to.
The Association of Convenience Stores has put together a compliance guide to help firms meet the new regulations, advising retailers they speak to their waste collector if they have not done so already.
While staff should be able to separate rubbish generated in stock rooms and around stores, customer-facing bins present more of a potential issue. The ACS says retailers should consider replacing bins that do not offer separation with ones that do, advising: “review all bin provision you are responsible for, especially outside of the store where there is a higher risk of waste streams being contaminated.”
