Starting March 31st, 2025, England is extending its Simpler Recycling initiative beyond households to include businesses. For food service providers, this means adjusting to stricter rules around separating and collecting general waste, dry recycling, and food waste.
No matter how small the amount, all food waste will need to be separated for collection. While this might feel like a big change, there are plenty of tools, resources, and companies ready to help you tackle this with ease. WRAP always has been and will continue to be an excellent resource. Even if your catering team isn’t directly responsible for waste collection, understanding these regulations will be key to supporting your customers and training your staff to handle waste separation and preparation for collection.
The new legislation could also be a chance to track and record food waste, uncover opportunities to cut costs, reduce your own environmental impact, and make real progress on your ESG goals.
What is simpler recycling and what’s changing?
The UK generates millions of tonnes of waste each year, much of which is improperly sorted or sent to landfill. Despite best effort, the rate of recycling isn’t having enough of an impact. Simpler Recycling is designed to standardise waste separation and collection, making it easier for businesses and households to recycle properly. By addressing waste at the source, we can reduce landfill use, cut harmful emissions, and create a cleaner, greener future.
Here’s what catering teams need to know:
- From 31st March 2025, businesses with over 10 full-time employees will be required to separate:
- Dry recyclables (e.g., glass, metal, plastic)
- Paper and cardboard
- Food waste
- Plastic film (starting March 2027)
Each waste stream must be stored and presented separately for collection by your waste contractor.
How can I prepare my catering business for Simpler Recycling?
Change can feel daunting, but by taking it step by step, your catering team can not only comply with the regulations but also turn them into a chance to improve operations, reduced costs and boost sustainability efforts. Here’s how to get ready:
Understand the regulations
Start by familiarising yourself with the new rules. Your local council or waste contractor is a great place to begin – they’ll likely already have guidelines and resources to help you ensure compliance. Collaboration with your downstream supply chain will only make the transition smoother.
Get to know your current waste practices
Understand how much waste your business generates, what types of waste are being produced, and where improvements can be made. This will help you identify:
- Areas with high levels of food waste.
- Missed opportunities for recycling.
- Inefficiencies in your current waste management process.
Invest in the right equipment
To make waste separation easy and efficient, you’ll need the right tools. Consider colour-coded bins for food, recyclables, and general waste. Companies like Rubbermaid have a number of waste management systems readily designed for Simpler Recycling. It’s also a good idea to help staff understand what goes where with clear signage and manage hygiene and odours with sealed food waste containers.
Educate your team (and customers)
Your staff are key to getting this right, so invest time and effort into training. Work with them to:
- Explain the new regulations and why they matter.
- Show them how to separate waste correctly.
- Highlight the environmental and financial benefits of reducing waste.
You might even find your team gets enthusiastic about sustainability! Standardising waste processes also makes it easier to onboard new staff and maintain consistency across shifts. And if customers are involved, clear communication will ensure everyone’s on the same page.
Partner with waste collection services
Reach out to your waste management provider or local council to discuss these new regulations. Find out what the collection schedules are and how they’re going to help you manage. They might also offer additional services such as food waste processing through composting or anaerobic digestion.
It’s important to ensure your provider can help you meet the new requirements – it’s a red flag if they can’t!
Track and monitor your waste
As the saying goes: you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Without tracking your food waste, it’s difficult to determine how much waste needs separating, how often it will need collecting, or whether you have the right bins and storage in place.
This is where food waste tracking software like IndiCater can make a real difference. Not only does it help you monitor the exact amount of food waste your business generates, but it also provides vauable insights into your operations. You’ll be able to:
- Identify where profits are being lost due to waste.
- Pinpoint which ingredients, recipes, or menus need adjustments to improve margins.
- Take actionable steps to reduce waste, save money, and fast-track your progress towards your sustainability goals.
As much as tracking food waste feels like an environmental initiative, it can also help you work smarter, cut costs and boost team morale.
Reduce food waste at the source
While waste separation is key for Simpler Recycling legislation, preventing waste will have some serious financial benefit. Using recipe and menu management software can help you plan portions carefully to minimise leftovers. Getting to grips with your stock through stock management software can help you automate a lot of the process and avoid overstocking and wasting goods. Another way to reduce food waste at the source is to donate surplus food to local charities or work with companies like Olio and become a force for good.
Take a proactive approach to compliance
Preparing for Simpler Recycling doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By taking proactive steps – such as understanding the regulations, auditing your waste practices, training your team, and investing in the right tools – you can turn this change into an opportunity to improve your business operations, reduce costs, and show your commitment to sustainability. Tools like food service software can make this process seamless by helping you track and monitor food waste with precision. From identifying where waste occurs to offering actionable insights for reducing costs and improving margins, software like IndiCater can transform compliance into a chance to work smarter, not harder.
Want to see how simple it can be? Book a call with one of our team members, and we’ll walk you through just how easy it is to track, monitor, and manage food waste. Together, we’ll make sure your business is ready to comply – and thrive – under the new Simpler Recycling regulations.
Contact us to schedule your free demo or consultation today!
