Understanding The New Commercial Waste Management Rules for 2025
By 31st March 2025, significant changes to the rules behind commercial waste management will come into full effect.
The new waste disposal rules aim to improve recycling efforts, reduce landfill use, and encourage businesses to adopt more sustainable waste disposal practices.
Businesses in all industries and sectors must understand and comply with the new changes to avoid fines and maintain responsibility.
What Are The New Commercial Waste Regulations And Why Are They Important? Key Takeaways:
1. New waste disposal regulations require businesses to separate food waste and recyclables by April 2025.
2. Compliance with commercial waste management ensures businesses avoid fines and fixed penalties.
3. The regulations aim to reduce landfill use, cut methane emissions, and support sustainability goals.
What Are The New Waste Regulations 2025?
The new commercial waste management rules, as per the Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024, state the following:
- Businesses in England with 10 or more employees producing over 5 kilograms of food waste weekly must arrange for separate collection by a licenced waste carrier starting 1 April 2025. The definition of ‘food waste’ encompasses a variety of biodegradable materials, such as fruit and vegetable peels, bones, eggshells, coffee grounds, and tea bags.
- Under the new regulations, businesses in England must ensure that dry mixed recyclables (DMR) such as paper, cardboard, plastics, and metals are separated from general waste and collected for recycling by a licenced waste carrier.
The new waste disposal regulations aim to support the UK’s long-term goal to improve the environment and achieve net-zero emissions.
What Happens If You Don’t Comply With The New Waste Disposal Regulations?
Understanding the importance of the new commercial waste management rules is crucial for businesses. These regulations aim to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, which in turn helps lower methane emissions and conserve resources.
Additionally, businesses must be aware of the potential consequences of non-compliance.
Failure to comply with the new waste disposal regulations can result in penalties, including fines. While the legislation does not explicitly detail fine amounts, local authorities have the discretion to impose penalties for violations.
In more severe cases, businesses can face prosecution for non-compliance, particularly for repeated or deliberate breaches. Prosecutions in the Magistrates' Court can result in fines of up to £20,000, while cases heard in the Crown Court may lead to unlimited fines.
How Will These Changes Impact Your Business
While many businesses have already adopted structured and organised commercial waste management plans, some may need to review their processes, and others may need to implement entirely new procedures.
To ensure compliance with the new rules, businesses should consider the following actions:
- Make operational adjustments: New bins or containers may be required to separate waste effectively and ensure an organised waste disposal and collection system is in place.
- Increase monitoring of waste: Businesses will need to track their waste disposal practices to ensure they are meeting recycling targets.
- Review waste disposal budgets: Although there may be initial expenses for new equipment or services, these costs can often be offset by reduced landfill charges over time.
The new rules may pose challenges for small businesses. However, the cost of non-compliance far outweighs the expense of early planning. Proactive preparation can help mitigate disruptions and ensure compliance.
Steps To Prepare For The New Regulations
To ensure compliance with the new commercial waste management rules our team at WM101 suggests taking the following steps:
- Conduct a Waste Audit
- Partner with a Trusted Waste Management Provider
- Train Staff
- Invest in the Right Bins and Containers
Why Choose WM101 for Your Waste Management Needs?
At WM101, our team is on hand to guide you through the process from start to finish.
We can help assess your current commercial waste management practices to identify areas for improvement, ensure your business is compliant with the new waste disposal regulations, streamline your waste segregation and disposal, and provide bins and containers to make recycling straightforward for staff and visitors.
If you need assistance preparing your business for the 2025 regulation changes, contact a member of our team today for expert advice and detailed information about our services.
08/01/2025