Does your business produce ANY food waste every week? Then you’ll soon have to comply with the new food waste legislation set to be introduced in 2025 across England. You’ll need dedicated food waste bins to separate it from other materials and manage your food waste legally.
If you run a company in Scotland or Wales then you should already comply with their existing food waste regulations. This new food waste legislation is being introduced across England to prevent large amounts of waste food from going to landfills or incineration facilities.
At Divert, we already dispose of all commercial waste we collect away from landfill (including waste food). Understand what the new food waste legislation in the UK means for your business and how to plan for the changes effectively – or speak to us for a free quote for food waste collections from your business by calling 0333 444 0118 or contacting us online.
What is the new food waste legislation
for 2025 in the UK?
The new food waste legislation in the UK for 2025 is part of Defra’s simpler recycling plans. It aims to help eliminate sending waste food to landfill from commercial organisations. This food waste regulation applies to all non-municipal premises in England – which includes businesses, the public sector, and third-sector organisations.
The legal regulation that will enforce the changes to commercial food waste management is the Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024. It makes mandatory food waste separation a legal requirement for businesses that produce more than 5kg of waste food per week.
This means diverting food away from general waste streams to ensure it’s disposed of via anaerobic digestion, composting, and other more sustainable methods, rather than rotting in landfills. It’s hoped these legal changes will benefit the environment by ensuring food waste is used to create the likes of renewable energy and liquid fertiliser.
When does the new UK food waste law
come into force?
The new food waste legislation comes into force on 31 March 2025 across England. By this date, any business that generates more than 5kg of waste food per week must have arranged separate commercial food waste collections.
For micro businesses – those with fewer than 10 employees – they don’t need to comply with the new regulations until 31 March 2027. This means micro businesses can continue to throw away food scraps with general waste until then. However, it’s advisable to separate waste food as soon as possible to help the environment and prepare for the legislation changes.
Scotland introduced regulations that made mandatory food waste separation a legal requirement for businesses in 2014, while Wales announced similar with their own simpler recycling measures in April 2024. These new regulation changes aim to align England’s food waste management with its neighbours.
How can my business prepare for
food waste regulation changes?
The new food waste regulation applies to all types of waste food. This includes plate waste from customers in restaurants and cafes, food scraps thrown away from lunches in offices, and that produced during preparation processes – such as fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells, and coffee grounds.
It will affect any company that creates more than 5kg of waste food a week, especially impacting restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, and shops. To prepare for these food waste regulation changes, your business must have separate food waste bins and collections in place before the end of March 2025.
Conduct an audit of your current food waste production to see how much your business produces daily and weekly. Use this information to first identify any opportunities to reduce food waste levels in your organisation. Then determine how many food waste bins you’ll need, what sizes, and how frequently you’ll want them collected.
Speak to one of our experts at Divert and we can assess your needs and advise on the best bins and collection schedule for your commercial food waste. We provide free bins with no delivery or rental costs – you only pay for collection. Call 0333 444 0118 or contact us online today for a free quote and help preparing for the new food waste legislation.
Will the new food waste law
affect households?
As part of Defra’s simpler recycling scheme, all households in England should have weekly food waste collections by 31 March 2026. Arranging this is the responsibility of local councils and authorities. Most homes will likely receive a small bin, box, or container for waste food to separate it from their general waste.
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