New regulations will soon require your business to separate recyclable materials from your general waste

You have until 31 March 2025 to get ready, unless you’re a smaller business with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees, in which case you’ll have until 31 March 2027.

These new regulations follow the pilot scheme from Solihull Council, commissioned by WRAP and supported by Sustainability West Midlands.

Note that the changes will affect the following seven sectors:

1. Health and social care: Human health and social care activities provided by private or public providers including hospitals, GP surgeries, dentists, opticians, ambulance and other medical transport services, pharmacies, physiotherapists, podiatrists, chiropractors, mental health services, residential, nursing and respite care home providers. 
2. Hospitality: Hotels, restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, quick service restaurants, hostels, motels, serviced apartments, bed and breakfasts, self-catering accommodation, catering businesses, bars, public and private sector canteens, school meals kitchens. 
3. Retail and wholesale: Wholesale and retail operations including those in the trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles. Includes online retailers and wholesalers as well as those from a fixed operating base.  
4. Transport and storage: Land, water and air transport operations including bus terminals, train stations, motorway service stations, ports and airports, warehousing providers, logistics and support activity providers, postal and courier services. 
5. Food and drink manufacturing: Food and drink product manufacturers including of alcoholic beverages such as brewers, wine producers and distilleries. 
6. Education: Universities, further or higher education colleges and providers, private and public schools, nurseries, kindergartens.  
7. Office and service sector.

You will need to separate the following recyclable materials for recycling:

• Glass such as drinks bottles and rinsed empty food jars
• Metal such as drinks cans and food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, aluminium food trays and tubes
• Plastic such as rinsed empty food containers and bottles
• Paper such as old newspapers and envelopes
• Cardboard such as delivery boxes and packaging
• Food leftovers or waste generated by food preparation