Why all businesses need to wake up to their waste obligations

Under the “polluter pays” principal, all English businesses could see changes and/or increases in the fees payable, with likely fines for non-compliance on the horizon.

1. Simpler Recycling: The Government’s Simpler Recycling Reforms will introduce mandatory obligations for all businesses to segregate their waste for collection, which will be enforced by Trading Standards.
2. Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR): Building on the current data reporting obligations, all UK businesses that sell goods in packaging or create that packaging will see fees introduced based on the tonnage of packaging they place on the UK market in October 2025.
3. Mandatory Digital Waste Tracking: All businesses in the UK will need to join the Government’s scheme to trace all waste from the moment it is created to the point it is finally disposed of.

Even if we wake up to a change of Government on July 5th, Waste Industry insiders report that the Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has indicated that while Labour may rebrand some of the waste reduction, re-use and recycling initiatives, they are unlikely to change the substance of the proposed regulations.

Freeths is used to advising businesses on how to turn waste from a cost to an opportunity.  Our report summarises your existing obligations, the incoming legislation, timescales for implementation (and our view on likely challenges), and steps to be taken to prepare for the changes.