Preparing for the new Simpler Recycling legislation.

Simple measures: Preparing for the new Simpler Recycling legislation.

Care homes will soon be subject to the new Simpler Recycling legislation being introduced by the UK government to encourage businesses to recycle more and send less to landfills. Any business with more than 10 employees will be required to separate waste, stop using macerators and waste disposal units and ensure its refuse collection meets the new standards, which come into effect on   31 March 2025.  Care homes risk fines and enforcement action if they fail to meet these recycling requirements.

About the Simpler Recycling legislation

The UK government wants to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

For a decade, England’s waste disposal has fallen significantly short of the government’s target of recycling 65% of all municipal waste. So, the new Simpler Recycling rules aim to incentivise businesses to improve their recycling rates and help achieve that goal.

What are care homes’ obligations underthe Simpler Recycling legislation

• Separate refuse into four types of waste:
  • residual (non-recyclable) or general waste
  • food waste
  • dry recyclable materials such as plastics, metals, and glass
  • paper and cardboard.
• Use food waste bins and caddies instead of waste disposal, macerator units or any other means that sends food waste into drains and sewers.
• Ensure the care home’s current refuse collection service is compliant with the new Simpler Recycling legislation or switch to one that is.

The Government’s new legislation will standardise and improve waste collection by local councils across England, so many care homes will be able to recycle waste for the first time. Most providers will bring in services to handle waste, separated into four categories. Some will offer a combined food and garden waste disposal option.

What is the cost of non-compliance?

Businesses that do not comply with the new Simpler recycling laws could face hefty fines and civil sanctions, ranging from £110 fixed penalty notice to a £5,000 fine or more. These new fines follow the 20% increase to landfill tax, which rose from £103.70 to £126.15 per tonne, in April 2024. So, the financial incentive to recycle for many care homes will be stronger than ever.

Colour coding

The government has established a standard colour-coding system for different types of waste. To help staff and residents identify the appropriate bin to use at any given time, stickers can be used on the bins.

Alternatively, to make recycling even simpler, a care home can use colour-coded bins from small pedal bins and food caddies to 80-litre capacity bins, in a central storage place inside or outdoors. This approach appears to be the most popular with many of the care homes we work with.

Getting ready to recycle

Step 1: Find out what collection service your local or contracted waste collector will offer going forward. Ask how it will handle the four categories of waste and if they are offering combined food and garden waste.

Step 2: Ensure there are sufficient colour coded or labelled bins of the appropriate size in each room around the home. Assess the amount of waste produced in the kitchens, communal areas and residents’ rooms for each type of waste category. Check what bins you have already and decide how many additional bins you will require, and how you will label the bins tohelp staff and residents use the appropriate bin and support the correctseparation of waste for collection.

Waste collection services vary bylocal authority so depending on how your local or contracted waste collectorworks you will need a minimum of three or four bins in some areas, but it couldbe as may as seven.

Kitchens, food and drink preparation stations:

·       Food waste

·       Paper/cardboard

·       Metal: cans, tins, aluminium foil, trays

·       Glass: bottles and jars

·       Plastic: containers and bottles

·       Plastic packaging

·       General waste.

Communal lounges:

·       Paper/cardboard: newspaper, envelopes, packaging

·       General waste.

Residents’ rooms:

·       Clinical waste

·       Paper/cardboard; newspaper, envelopes, packaging

·       Plastic

·       General waste.

Step 3: Train all staff on the importance of recycling, both for sustainability and its potential financial impact on the care home. Make sure they know which types of waste need separating, as well as the government’s colour coding for each type.

Recycling for the future

Without doubt many care homes will, in the short term, be inconvenienced by the change. While many may be concerned about the costs of new bins, staff education, and discussing the changes with local refuse collectors, care homes could save thousands of pounds a year under the revised regime. However, the biggest benefit will be protecting the environment and our communities by reducing landfill, and the associated greenhouse gas emissions from waste.

Sourcing recycling bins

Blueleaf have a complete range of bins and caddies that can help you to easily structure your recycling in order to meet the new legislation that will be coming into effect at the end of March 2025.

You can view the complete range of recycling bins here: Blueleaf | Recycling Bins

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