Simpler recycling. Sounds like a solution we all need, but whether we are at home or at work, the reality can sometimes be very confusing with different items being collected in different containers (sometimes lots of them – there are 5 different ones in South Gloucestershire!)

The Simpler Recycling initiative is coming into force in England at the end of March and will affect all businesses (micro businesses of under 10 people have an extension until the 31st March 2027 before needing to react to these changes).

The intention of the initiative is to support the government’s commitment to a zero waste, circular economy and to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill or energy from waste facilities.

For businesses in England, there is a new requirement coming into effect by the 31st of March 2025, to separate and have the following waste streams collected:

• Glass, metal and plastic
• Cardboard and paper
• Food waste as a dedicated collection

The majority of businesses and HKW RM clients will be separating and collecting most of these waste streams already – the big change is the requirement to separate food waste and have this collected separately. In England, there is no minimum amount of food waste that a business might produce before requiring a collection – every business with more than 10 staff will now have to have a food waste collection. If people are eating their lunch in the staff kitchen or break area, you will need to provide a food waste caddy and encourage them to put their tea bags and apple cores in it!

There will be a cost to this change as your current waste contractor / broker is likely to charge you for an extra container and an extra collection service which may feel disproportionate for a small business creating very little food waste.

This useful link to WRAP England gives an excellent breakdown of the guidelines and offers a 5-step guide to help, plus offers specific guidance for different industry sectors.

Like many pieces of legislation throughout the UK, the guidelines do vary depending on where you are in the country:

• If you are in Wales – the guidelines state that there is a 5kg minimum requirement before having to separate food waste. To read more about the guidelines in Wales, follow this link
• If you are in Scotland – the guidelines state that there is a 5kg minimum requirement before having to separate food waste. To read more about the guidelines in Scotland, follow this link
• If you are in Northern Ireland – the guidelines state that there is a 5kg minimum requirement before having to separate food waste. To read more about the guidelines in Northern Ireland, follow this link

Once your food waste is collected separately, it will be taken to one of the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants around the country, this map shows all operational anaerobic digestion plants in the UK and it's great to see so many throughout the country. For the majority of our Bristol and South West clients, your food waste is likely to end up at GENeco AD plant in Avonmouth.

Here's a breakdown of the process:

1. Collection: Organic waste, such as food scraps, animal manure, or crops, is collected and transported to an anaerobic digestion facility.
2. Pre-treatment: The waste is prepared by removing any contaminants like plastic or packaging and may be shredded or mashed to increase surface area for microbial action.
3. Digestion: The organic material is placed in a sealed, oxygen-free tank called an anaerobic digester. Inside, microorganisms break down the waste in several stages, ultimately producing biogas and digestate.
4. Biogas production: The biogas produced is primarily composed of methane and carbon dioxide, with trace amounts of other gases. This biogas can be used to generate electricity and heat, or it can be upgraded to biomethane for injection into the natural gas grid. REAL who is one of our clients, manages the Green Gas Certification Scheme which issues, transfers and retires Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs) within their database. RGGOs are issued to green gas producers for units of green gas injected into the gas grid, which displace units of fossil gas. They can then be transferred between a variety of counterparties before being retired and allocated to gas consumers. The GGCS ensures that only one RGGO is issued for each unit injected, that they are transferred securely, and only ever allocated to one consumer – thus making sure that no units are double counted.
5. Digestate utilisation: The digestate, a nutrient-rich byproduct, can be used as a biofertiliser for crops, reducing the need for chemical fertilisers.

Benefits of Anaerobic Digestion:

• Renewable energy generation
• Waste reduction
• Nutrient recovery
• Greenhouse gas reduction
• Economic benefits

If your business needs any help with separating and collecting food waste, one of our clients is GWR Waste Management who can provide food waste containers and collection services nationwide. Just contact them and ask for a member of the sales team who will be happy to help!