GATESHEAD, UK. July 15, 2026. Small businesses across England are being encouraged to start preparing now for new recycling regulations that will become mandatory next year. Better Waste Solutions says many micro-businesses remain unaware of the upcoming Simpler Recycling deadline and may need to make changes well in advance to ensure they comply with the new legal requirements.
From 31 March 2027, businesses employing between one and nine people in England will be required to comply with Simpler Recycling legislation. This includes arranging separate collections for dry recyclable materials, food waste and residual waste.
According to Better Waste Solutions, a large number of smaller businesses are still unaware that the legislation will apply to them, leaving less than nine months to put the necessary waste management arrangements in place.
Since 31 March 2025, businesses with ten or more employees have already been legally required to separate waste into different streams. Plastic, metal, glass, paper and card must be collected separately from food waste, while both must also be kept separate from general residual waste.
The legislation was always intended to apply to all businesses. However, micro-businesses were given an additional two years before the requirements came into force.
Under the Simpler Recycling framework, every workplace in England must arrange separate collections for three waste categories. Dry recyclables include items such as plastic bottles, drinks cans, cardboard packaging and paper envelopes. Food waste covers materials including coffee grounds, tea bags, vegetable peelings and leftovers from staff kitchens, even in workplaces that do not provide food for customers. Any non-recyclable waste must be collected separately.
Whether a business qualifies as a micro-business is based on its total number of employees across the entire organisation rather than individual sites. For example, a company operating three locations with four employees at each has a total workforce of twelve and has therefore been required to comply with the regulations since March 2025.
From 31 March 2027, the Environment Agency will be able to issue civil sanctions, including compliance notices, for certain waste-related offences.
Failure to comply with a compliance notice is a criminal offence and can be enforced under the Environment Agency’s sanctions and enforcement policy. Waste collection companies that do not collect waste streams separately may also be subject to enforcement action.
Businesses do not need to register for the current exemption, but there is also no process available to extend it beyond the existing deadline.
Research carried out by Better Waste Solutions found that 72 per cent of business leaders believe they need more recycling solutions.
James Allgood of Better Waste Solutions said: “Willingness to recycle is prevalent. There just needs to be the opportunity to do so.”
