Businesses and households must prepare for large scale changes to current recycling in England, as the UK government implements further measures to protect the environment
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed the next steps of its rebranded ‘Simpler Recycling’ scheme which is replacing its ‘Consistent Recycling’ programme. The new scheme is set to be a simpler, common-sense, approach to recycling. Announced in October 2023, Simpler Recycling will work alongside other initiatives such as Extended Producer Responsibility and the Deposit Return Scheme to improve waste management and recycling across England.
The government’s current ‘Consistent Recycling’ system is disjointed with local authorities operating differently across the country. This complicates waste management for businesses and brands, and is detrimental to recycling rates which we know are already low – according to the Courage to Change report 56% of Brits don’t recycle bathroom waste like shampoo, conditioner and shower gel bottles simply because it’s inconvenient to do so.
The report also highlighted that the will of the public is there, with over 96% of polled participants believing that their actions could make a positive difference.
What is the ‘Simpler Recycling’ scheme?
The ‘Simpler Recycling’ scheme will introduce standardised expectations for the whole of England, meaning that households and businesses will benefit from frequent and simplified rubbish collections and recycling wherever they live. The number of overall household bins will also be reduced, with new systems to make the process less complex for individual local authorities to manage.
By 31 March 2025, all non-household municipal premises (such as businesses, hospitals and schools) will be required to recycle the same materials, with households required to do so the following year. Micro-firms (businesses with fewer than 10 full-time employees) will be required to collect the materials by 31 March 2027.
What does the ‘Simpler Recycling’ scheme mean for beauty?
On tackling this issue within the beauty industry and what the new measures could achieve, Chief Policy Officer of the British Beauty Council, Victoria Brownlie said:
“The UK’s current recycling record is appalling with the majority of our used products and packaging ending up in landfill rather than being repurposed or recycled. It’s encouraging to see DEFRA attempting to tackle this, especially when it comes to materials like glass and metal. Ultimately however, we need to be innovating to move away from other materials such as plastics that cannot be infinitely recycled. The Council’s annual Plastic Solutions Summit and Sustainable Beauty Coalition plays an important part in working towards these solutions.”
When will ‘Simpler Recycling’ be introduced?
Below is a timeline of all new regulations:
- Introduce regulations as part of the new Simpler Recycling legislation before Parliament’s summer recess.
- By 31 March 2025, businesses, and non-domestic premises (except micro-firms) will be required to recycle all recyclable waste streams: metal, glass, plastic, paper and food waste (excluding garden waste and plastic film.)
- April 2025 Digital Waste Tracking introduced – this will be used by waste collectors to record the types of waste collected, which will help to improve the use of recycling services in the future.
- By 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect all six recyclable streams (excluding plastic film,) from all households. Local authorities must collect food waste weekly.
- By 31 March 2027, micro-firms (businesses and non-domestic premises with less than 10 full-time equivalent employees) will be required to recycle all recyclable waste streams (excluding garden waste). Plastic film collections from all households, businesses and non-domestic premises will also begin.
Read more about the new recycling regulations here.
