British business must prepare for 2025’s Mandatory Food Waste Separation law

New legislation for commercial operations will come into force on 31st March.

The change in law, which is part of Defra’s wider Simpler Recycling reforms, is designed to reduce the amount of edible items being sent to landfill sites.While there are several routes for compliance companies can take, Downing Street hopes anaerobic digestion treatment will be used on produce being thrown away, preparing this waste stream for reuse as a biofuel. 

Once rolled out, the regulation will apply to any business which produces more than 5kg of food waste per week. This includes teabags, fruit and vegetable skins, eggshells, bones, and coffee grinds. This applies to any  non-domestic property, and organisation’s will need to partner with food waste specialists, with many likely to require new contracts to ensure they meet requirements.

‘It’s a big win for the environment and it aligns well with the government’s sustainability goals. We are geared up to help businesses comply with these regulations, ensuring a smoother transition to greener waste management practices,’ said Mark Hall, co-founder of BuisnessWaste.co.uk.

While manager and company owners are encouraged to begin readying for the changes, currently confusion reigns across the business world. A survey by First Mile, earlier this summer found just 24% of small and medium enterprises had begun preparations and many of those that had not were unsure about the regulations and how the applied to them. In related news, an investigation by the Copper Sustainability Partnership recently found that datasets published by Downing Street on waste and recycling fell by 50% under the Conservative government. 

More on waste & recycling: 

UK Government waste & recycling datasets fell by 50% under Conservatives

Scottish Government single-use plastic cup charge must be higher

UK water companies ‘blind’ to networks, need huge investment to improve

Image: BusinessWaste.co.uk