What you need to know about Simpler Recycling in 2027

As 2026 draws to an end, the smallest businesses in England need to start preparing ahead of their inclusion within the Simplier Recycling Scheme in 2027. The final phase of the Simpler Recycling Scheme applies to all workplaces in England with less than 10 full time equivalent (FTE) employees from April 2027. As a result, small businesses in England must get their workplace recycling arrangements finalised before the deadline to ensure compliance and prevent a last minute panic.

QCR are here to help you understand what our smallest workplaces need to do ahead of 31 March 2027.

Simpler Recycling in England: A Quick History

One of the primary aims of the simpler recycling scheme is to improve business recycling rates. The first wave of the Simpler Recycling Scheme targetted only the largest businesses and non-domestic premises (such as schools and prisons) in England. Workplaces included in the first phase had to pre-sort different types of waste materials at their site ahead of collection by a registered waste carrier by 31st March 2025. The key waste materials that needed to be segregated included:

• Dry mixed recyclables (including paper, cardboard, plastics, metals and glass)
• Food waste (including tea bags and coffee grounds from your workplace canteen)
• Residual waste (everything not included in the two groups above)

The simplier recycling rules add additional responsibilities onto waste producers because they were are in addition to the existing Waste Duty of Care legislation that everyone must follow.

Simpler Recycling Compliance Checklist for 2027

1. Read up on your responsibilities and communicate key points to your employees

Simpler recycling is already mandatory for businesses in England with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees so businesses in this category should already have waste separation procedures in place. Businesses with less than 10 employees have the slightly later deadline of 31 March 2027 to become compliant with the legislation. By 1 April 2027, all businesses will need to segregate waste.

2. Consider how you'll manage separate waste receptacles for food, recyclable and dry business waste

The law requires anyone dealing with business waste to keep it safe, make sure it's dealt with responsibly and only given to businesses authorised to take it. Therefore the simpler recycling scheme offers smaller businesses a timely opportunity to review their usage of commercial bins - for example, are you paying full price to empty a partially filled bin? Could your card waste be managed better with the use of a baler? This will help you determine which waste disposal method will best suit your business and whether waste compaction equipment could help. 

3. Review on-premises waste storage

Typically small businesses operate from small premises so copying the adjustments made by larger businesses may not necessarily work at your site. Afterall, your waste duty of care still applies regardless of how much additional space you can find. That's why it's important to get expert advice, review your own arrangements and make any changes before the deadline approaches.  

4. Choose the right supplier to help you put your plans into action

It's likely that your waste contractor will be hammering on your door to sell you additional wheelie bins. Instead, take your time and consider all the options before you rush into a new contract. One key learning from the rollout to those larger businesses in England is not to leave it to the last minute to get your recycling plans in place and investigate alternatives to bins.

FAQ's

How should cardboard be segregated to comply with simpler recycling rules?

Workplaces in England can choose to put cardboard in a traditional recycling bin or compact it with the help of a baler or bin compactor. The most efficient way to prepare cardboard ahead of collection is to flatten it down and keep it dry to prevent the risk of mould. The fastest way to do this is using a simple cardboard compactor. To avoid contamination , it's important that cardboard containing wax coatings, foil or glitter is removed.

How should I get started with simpler recycling?

To get started with simpler recycling, we'd first recommend booking a free waste audit from a supplier of recycling equipment to identify the waste streams you need to remove from your residual "landfill" commercial bins. It doesn't matter whether your business is a retailer or a restaurant, a waste compaction machinery supplier can help you mechanise recycling processes to speed-up the process.

Can simpler recycling save my business money?

From a cost perspective, simpler recycling has the potential to reduce your waste management spend because recycling collections are cheaper than non-recyclable waste disposal. From April 2027, Simpler Recycling compliance will be essential for all businesses so it's important you do it in the most cost efficient way to limit additional overheads.

What are the challenges for small businesses of simpler recycling?

One of the main challenges micro businesses think they'll come across is the need for additional waste storage space. QCR Recycling Equipment (QCR) understand that workspace can be limited, especially in crowded city centres such as Manchester and Birmingham which is why we can visit your premises to suggest bespoke recycling solutions.