Simpler Recycling for businesses: what changes in March 2027

Simpler Recycling reaches every business in England by 31st March 2027, including micro firms with fewer than 10 employees. If you run a smaller business, that’s the date you’ll need separate collections for recycling and food waste in place.

In this article, we’ll cover:

What Simpler Recycling is, and that it applies in England
What businesses with 10 or more employees must already do
What changes for micro firms in March 2027
The kerbside collection of flexible plastics from 2027
How to set your workplace up to comply

What is Simpler Recycling?

Simpler Recycling is the Defra reform that standardises recycling collections across England. It requires businesses and households to separate the same core materials, so recycling works the same way at work, at home and at school.

It applies in England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements. The Simpler Recycling legislation is regulated for workplaces by the Environment Agency, which can issue compliance notices.

What do businesses have to do now?

Businesses in England with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees have had to comply since 31st March 2025. They must arrange separate collections of dry recyclables and food waste, kept apart from general waste.

The headcount is measured at organisation level, not per site. Contractors, self-employed workers and volunteers don’t count towards the total. The Simpler Recycling regulations treat charities and public sector bodies the same as businesses.

What changes for businesses in March 2027?

From 31st March 2027, Simpler Recycling reaches micro firms, meaning businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees. The exemption that smaller firms have relied on ends, so the same separation rules apply to everyone.

Households in England came into scope from 31st March 2026, so the routine will already be familiar to many of your staff. If yours is a micro firm, treat the time until 2027 as preparation rather than breathing space.

Will flexible plastics be collected at kerbside?

From 31st March 2027, kerbside collections of flexible plastics will be introduced for workplaces and households in England. That brings hard-to-recycle films into the system for the first time.

Flexible plastics include carrier bags, plastic film and items such as polythene bags and grip seal bags. Until those collections are running, many of these films still go through store take-back points or specialist routes rather than your standard recycling.

The recyclability rating that feeds packaging producer fees is also set to change, which affects how flexible plastics are assessed. For how producer responsibility fits in, see our guide to EPR.

Which materials must you separate?

Simpler Recycling sets out the core streams every workplace must separate from general waste: dry recyclables and food waste. Dry recyclables are plastic, metal, glass, paper and card.

Paper and card must be kept apart from the other dry recyclables, unless your waste collector says that it can take them together. Food waste needs its own collection.

This covers which materials the law requires you to separate, not which can be recycled or how. For what is recyclable and how to recover packaging at end of life, see our guide to recycling packaging materials.

How do you set your workplace up for Simpler Recycling?

Start by talking to your waste collector to check your current service meets the rules, then put clear bins and signage where waste is created. Good labelling does more to cut contamination than anything else.

A few steps cover most workplaces:

Confirm your collector provides separate collections for dry recyclables and food waste
Place clearly labelled bins where staff generate waste, using storage containers sized to your volumes
Brief staff on what goes where, and review the setup if a bin keeps getting contaminated

Contamination matters because mixing food waste into recycling can spoil the whole load.

Getting ready before 2027

Simpler Recycling is already live for larger employers, and the 2027 deadline brings every remaining business into line. The rules themselves are meant to be simpler, replacing the patchwork of older schemes with one consistent set of streams.

If you run a micro firm, the practical work is small: the right bins, a reliable collection and staff who know the system. Sorting it before 2027 avoids a last-minute scramble.

Setting up separate collections at work? Order the bins and containers you need to keep your recycling streams apart and compliant.

Key takeaways

Simpler Recycling applies in England and reaches businesses with fewer than 10 employees from 31st March 2027.
Businesses with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees have had to separate dry recyclables and food waste since 31st March 2025.
Kerbside collections of flexible plastics, including carrier bags and film, start for workplaces and households from 31st March 2027.
The core streams to separate are dry recyclables (plastic, metal, glass, paper and card) and food waste, with paper and card often kept apart.
The Environment Agency regulates Simpler Recycling for workplaces and can issue compliance notices for non-compliance.

FAQ: Simpler Recycling for businesses

Does Simpler Recycling apply to small businesses?

Yes. From 31st March 2027, businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees must separate recycling and food waste, ending the exemption smaller firms previously had.

Do volunteers count towards the 10-employee threshold?

No. Contractors, self-employed workers and volunteers are not counted when working out your full-time equivalent employee total for Simpler Recycling.

Does Simpler Recycling apply outside England?

No. Simpler Recycling applies in England only, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate their own recycling arrangements.

Who enforces Simpler Recycling for businesses?

The Environment Agency regulates workplace recycling and can issue compliance notices, with enforcement action for businesses that fail to comply.

Can paper and card go in the same bin as other recycling?

Paper and card must be separated from plastic, metal and glass, unless your waste collector has assessed that it can collect them together.

What happens if recycling is contaminated?

Contaminated recycling can be rejected and sent to general waste, so clear labelling and staff briefing are the most effective ways to keep loads clean.