UK businesses must separate food waste by 2025 – Are you prepared?

The UK’s upcoming legislation mandating food waste separation for businesses marks a significant shift in food waste management and environmental accountability. Set to take effect in England on March 31, 2025, the “Simpler Recycling” law mandates all businesses with ten or more full-time employees to separate food waste at the source, in response to the UK government’s Recycling Consistency consultation.

This legislation aims to reduce the environmental impact of commercial waste by improving recycling rates and minimizing waste sent to landfills or incinerators. For companies that generate significant food waste, the new regulations are both a legal requirement and an opportunity to reinforce sustainability commitments and optimize waste management.

Understanding the new legislation?

The “Simpler Recycling” initiative requires all qualifying businesses in England to:?

1. Separate recyclable waste on-site before collection by a waste contractor.?
2. Specifically segregate food waste, as it is recognized as a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions when disposed of improperly.?
3. Comply by March 31, 2025, or face potential penalties. This timeline provides businesses with an opportunity to implement necessary infrastructure changes.

The new rule applies to all industries that produce food waste, such as hospitals, food retailers, hotels, and manufacturing sectors. These companies must assess their current food waste management processes and adapt to meet compliance, which involves both logistical and operational shifts.?

Why compliancy matters?

Compliance is not just a matter of avoiding penalties. Separating food waste can provide multiple benefits:?

• Environmental impact reduction: Minimizes greenhouse gas emissions by diverting food waste from landfills or incinerators.?

• Resource efficiency: Allows food waste to be transformed into valuable by-products like biogas or organic liquid fertilizers.?Also other waste streams stay cleaner to be able to recycle them. The current mixed waste that cannot be recycled is often contaminated with food waste.

• Enhanced corporate image: Demonstrates environmental responsibility, which can enhance brand reputation and strengthen consumer trust in your brand.?

Steps your employer should take to prepare for compliance?

1. Conduct a waste audit Start by assessing the types and volumes of food waste your business generates. Identify points in your operation where food waste is produced and determine how much of it could be feasibly separated. A waste audit provides critical data that will guide the necessary changes in food waste management.
2. Implement segregation bins Invest in clearly labelled, easy-to-use bins dedicated to food waste. Position these bins at key points where food waste is generated, such as kitchens or food prep areas, to streamline the separation process. Bins should be distinct from general waste and recycling bins to ensure compliance.
3. Train employees Employees will play a vital role in ensuring compliance. Organize continuous training sessions to educate staff on the new requirements, emphasizing the importance of correctly sorting food waste. Regular reminders and visual aids like posters can reinforce the message and ensure adherence. Raise the topic during the onboarding of new staff.
4. Partner with a certified waste management company Select a solution to valorize your food waste on-site. Think about total CO2 reductions, how the nutrients in food waste can be reused and how much energy can be generated by digesting food waste. Food waste streams of multiple businesses can be combined to increase your local impact. And maybe the municipality wants to use the fertilizer from your food waste to grow their public parks and use this to create awareness about sustainability.
5. Monitor and evaluate waste practices Once new systems are in place, track their effectiveness. Periodic evaluations can reveal issues like contamination in waste streams or identify new opportunities for improvement. Regularly review waste management reports and consider feedback from staff to optimize processes. The data generated about diverted food waste and transformed into clean energy and natural fertilizer can be used for carbon credits and CSRD reporting.
6. Explore on-site waste processing solutions For businesses that produce large quantities of food waste, on-site solutions like containerized biodigesters can provide added efficiency. A Waste Transformer biodigester processes daily food waste into biogas, electricity, and liquid biobased fertilizer, cutting down transportation needs and converting food waste into new resources that benefit your business. Don’t flush your valuable food waste through the sink, as it moves the problem towards your sewage company.?Valorize it yourself.

Preparing for March 2025: Timely action is key?

The transition to the new requirements will be smoother for businesses that act early. Implementing food waste separation can be complex, but with the right resources and a proactive approach, companies can ensure compliance while promoting environmental responsibility.?

Businesses in the food industry should view these regulations as a prompt to reassess their sustainability practices, reduce food waste, and demonstrate environmental leadership. In doing so, they not only comply with the law but also set a foundation for a more sustainable future.??

Let us guide you.?

At the Waste Transformers we help our clients to turn their own food waste into energy and nutrients, and being compliant with upcoming food waste legislation. Our technology, a containerized biodigester runs at the client site, and is fed daily with non-consumable food waste. Bacteria turn the food waste into clean energy to co-power your building. Get in contact to understand how this legislation is impacting your business and how to be ready for it. Make an appointment here .?