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With just over a week until DEFRA’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ legislation comes into force, now is a good time to make sure your hospitality business complies with England’s landmark recycling reforms. For those new to the topic, you are not alone.
‘Simpler Recycling’ seeks to standardise the collection of dry recyclable waste across councils in England. In practice, from 31 March 2025 businesses and non-domestic premises with ten or more full-time employees will be the first required to sort their waste into four separate streams: general waste, food waste, paper and card, and dry mixed recycling.
Failure to comply can result in being issued a compliance notice from the Environment Agency – not only a cause for reputational damage, but one that can come hand-in hand with a penalty fine.
How will DEFRA’s Simpler Recycling legislation affect the hospitality sector?
The UK hospitality sector produces 920,000 tonnes of food waste annually—75% of which is avoidable if properly recycled. With full implementation, more recyclable waste will reach processing units instead of landfills, reducing your business’s environmental impact.
Since food and packaging make up a significant amount of waste from customers and commercial operations, it’s important to ensure recyclables are sorted correctly for collection.
What can hospitality businesses do to comply with Simpler Recycling 2025?
You will need to implement a method of capturing and disposing of recyclable waste in the new four separate waste streams both internally (e.g. a commercial kitchen), and from the public.
The most efficient solution would be to install bins with four separate apertures to accommodate general waste and recyclable waste as required by DEFRA’s Simpler Recycling legislation.
Try to make this adjustment as easy as possible for customers and staff alike by standardising the types of bins available, using signage with WRAP-compliant colour schemes and labels, and ensuring the bins have a high enough capacity to avoid overflow or comingling.
Find out more about how to comply with the Simpler Recycling reforms in our recent blog.
Simpler Recycling with Leafield Environmental
Leafield recommends the following recycling bins to keep your hospitality business compliant with DEFRA’s new Simpler Recycling legislation.
The EnviroPlex Series
200 litre capacity | H:900mm | W:430mm D: 1200mm (Standard)
Designed with simpler recycling in mind, this stylish bin offers on-the-go multiple waste stream recycling and is the ideal solution for hospitality waste management.
Now available: the EnviroPlex Recycling Bin with 3 or 4 waste streams
Envirobank 240: Food Waste Recycling Bin
240 to 320 litre capacity | H:1419 | W:741 | D:871mm
Whether it’s capturing food scraps in a corporate cafeteria or managing waste in work kitchens, our durable food waste bins excel in any situation, ensuring efficient waste management and promoting a cleaner, greener future.
EnviroBin 100 Recycling Bin
100 litre capacity | H:803mm | W:445mm | D:445mm
The EnviroBin 100 can be used solo or grouped for multiple waste streams, making it a popular choice for internal recycling.
Find out more
EnviroStep Recycling Bin: Triple
90 litre capacity | H:970mm | W:600mm | D:370 mm
Ideal for hospitality environments where hygiene is a top priority, the EnviroStep: Triple collects three waste streams of your choice. Its sleek design has minimal components which allows for the bin to be completely stripped down for deep cleaning in less than 8 minutes.
EcoArc Recycling Bin
80 litre capacity | H: 1100 x W: 333 x D: 600mm
The EcoArc offers a double-sided oval aperture for easy walk-by access. The bins can be used inside or outside, dotted around solo, or grouped together to create a recycling station of your choice
The hooded design will keep the rain out, and the relatively small footprint is ideal for tighter spaces.
Prepare your business for Simpler Recycling 2025 – contact us today
Leafield Environmental has been working closely with businesses to help them prepare their facilities for the changes ahead. Our business development team can offer expert advice, and many of our products have been designed with simpler recycling in mind – so rest assured there will be a solution that suits your business’s needs.
For more information about Leafield Environmental’s internal and external recycling bins, call 01225816541, email [email protected] or visit www.leafieldrecycle.com
