Business waste - your responsibilities
What is business waste?
Business waste is any waste that is produced by a commercial activity, including one run from your home. The law classifies this waste as commercial or industrial waste and you are required to make suitable arrangements for this waste to be stored and disposed of safely and lawfully.
This waste must not be disposed of using the services provided for households.
It includes waste from construction, demolition, industry and agriculture but also includes waste from:
- Holiday homes
- Camp sites
- Charities clubs and societies
- Any part of your home used for a commercial/business activity
- Food and drinks waste from any part of a business premises
- Waste from rented properties collected by the landlord or agent
- Waste produced at a household by builders, painters and decorators, and other contractors
- Waste from home businesses, such as childminding, accountancy, salons, catering and dog grooming
Your responsibilities
From 31 March 2025, the national Simpler Recycling reforms must be complied with which will require all businesses and non-domestic premises such as schools and hospitals with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees to separate recyclables from general waste.
Businesses and organisations with less than 10 full-time employees (classed as micro-firms) will have to make arrangements for separate collections of recyclables from general waste by 31 March 2027.
The recyclable materials required to be separated from general waste include:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Metal tins, cans and foil
- Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays (plastic film and flexibles to be included by 31 March 2027)
- Glass bottles and jars
- Food waste - this requires its own separate collection
There are currently no exemptions, and recycling collection of the above materials are required no matter the amount being produced.
The Business of Recycling website has been developed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and provides guidance and resources for specific business sectors and non-domestic premises such as schools and hospitals on how to make the changes required. The website also includes a waste calculator, that gives businesses the potential costs of their waste collection service, and ideas to improve waste efficiency.
If you produce commercial or industrial waste you have a duty of care to store and dispose of your waste responsibly. You should:
- Keep waste to a minimum by doing everything you can to:
- Prevent - Make every effort to reduce your waste wherever possible
- Reuse - Do whatever you can to reuse waste from your business
- Recycle - Ensure you separate and organise collection as above for recycling materials in accordance with the Simpler Recycling reforms. You can research local recycling options to find a service that meets your needs
- Sort and store waste safely and securely. You should do everything you reasonably can to prevent it from escaping and causing litter
If you are unsure about your waste responsibilities, have a look at our Business waste guide, the Business of Recycling website or see the government guidance on how to dispose of business and commercial waste.