Simpler Recycling Is Coming for Small Takeaways

If you run an independent takeaway in England with a small team, there’s a date to put in the diary: 31 March 2027. That’s when the Simpler Recycling rules, which larger workplaces have followed since March 2025, start applying to businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees.

The good news is that there’s still time to get it right. Done well, it shouldn’t change much about how your kitchen runs. This guide covers what the rules require, what goes in which bin, and how your packaging affects where waste ends up.

This guide covers England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own workplace recycling rules. For the official position, read the GOV.UK guidance: Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England.

Does This Apply to You Yet?

The 2027 deadline is for “micro-firms”: businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. A few points catch people out:

• Count the whole business, not one shop. If you run two sites with six staff each, that’s 12 employees. You’re not a micro-firm, and the rules have applied to you since 31 March 2025.

• Part-timers count pro rata. Two staff on half-time hours add up to one FTE.

• Some people don’t count. Contractors, self-employed workers and volunteers aren’t included. For example, delivery drivers who are self-employed rather than on your payroll are left out.

• There’s nothing to register. The exemption until 31 March 2027 applies automatically, so there’s no form to fill in.

What the Rules Actually Require

From 31 March 2027, your waste must be separated before it’s collected into three streams:

• Dry recycling: plastic, metal, glass, paper and card

• Food waste

• General waste (also called residual or non-recyclable waste)

This covers all waste produced on your premises. That includes your kitchen and back-of-house, your staff, and any bins you provide for customers and visitors. If you have a counter bin, a few tables, or a bin by the door, that waste needs separating too.

You decide the bin sizes and collection frequency based on how much waste you produce. You can use your local authority, a private waste company, or a mix of both. Any company you use must be registered on the Public Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers.

A note on “dry mixed recycling”: Many collectors take plastic, metal, paper and cardboard together in one bin. However, the law’s starting point is that paper and cardboard are collected separately from other dry recyclables. Your collector can only combine them if they’ve completed a written assessment. Some collectors also want glass in its own container. Follow your collector’s instructions. That’s what compliance is measured against.

What Goes in Which Bin

Four things takeaways often get wrong:

• “We hardly have any food waste.” It doesn’t matter how small the amount is. Even tea bags from the staff break need separating. Don’t ask staff to take food waste home instead.

• Compostable packaging in the food bin. The guidance is clear that packaging labelled “compostable” or “biodegradable” can’t go in with food waste. Unless you’ve arranged a dedicated collection, it goes in general waste.

• Cooking oil down the sink. Never pour it down the drain. Small amounts can usually go in with food waste. Larger volumes need a used cooking oil collection.

• Leaving food in “recycling”. A tub with sauce still in it, or a box with food stuck to it, contaminates the whole bin. Empty and rinse first.

How Your Packaging Choices Affect Your Bins

Most of the packaging you buy leaves with the customer. But plenty doesn’t: deliveries, outer cases, ingredient tubs, wrongly packed orders, dine-in waste, and whatever customers leave in your bins. How easily that packaging can be cleaned decides which bin it ends up in.

Food-soiled cardboard. Clean cardboard, like delivery boxes and outer cases, is easy to recycle. Cardboard that has soaked up grease or sauce is a different story. If food residue can’t be removed, it counts as contamination and belongs in general waste. A greasy pizza box base is the classic example. Some collectors will accept clean sections torn away from the soiled part, so ask yours.

Containers that rinse clean. Rigid plastic tubs and trays, aluminium foil trays and glass jars can be emptied and rinsed. Once clean, they go in dry recycling, provided your collector accepts that material. If you go through a lot of ingredient tubs and trays, a quick rinse station by the bins makes a real difference.

Packaging labelled compostable or biodegradable. These labels don’t send packaging to the food bin or the recycling bin. Under the guidance, they go in general waste unless you’ve arranged a dedicated collection. That’s worth knowing if you’ve been assuming these products sort themselves out.

Polystyrene. Expanded polystyrene isn’t collected in dry recycling, so it ends up in general waste.

The practical takeaway: Before you reorder, look at what’s piling up in your bins. Ask two questions about each item: can it realistically be emptied and cleaned in a busy kitchen, and does your collector accept that material? The answers will tell you more than any label.

Your Pre-March 2027 Checklist

• Work out your FTE headcount across the whole business, not just one site.

• Check your bins for a week. Note what you throw away and where: kitchen, front counter, staff area, customer bins.

• Talk to your waste collector. Ask which streams they collect, how they want dry recycling separated, what they reject, and what contamination will cost you. Confirm they’re on the waste carrier register.

• Choose bin sizes and collection frequency. Weekly or fortnightly food waste collection helps keep pests and smells away. Avoid storing food waste for more than two weeks.

• Label every bin clearly. Free signage is available from WRAP’s Business of Recycling website, which also has a waste-cost calculator.

• Brief your team, including part-timers and weekend staff.

• Sort out customer-facing bins if you have seating or a public bin.

• Review your packaging with the bin you’ll be using in mind.

What Happens If You’re Not Ready?

The Environment Agency can issue a compliance notice to a business that isn’t separating its waste. Failing to follow a compliance notice is an offence. Since 3 February 2026, the Agency has also charged non-compliant businesses £118 per hour for its regulatory work, such as serving notices and follow-up assessments. Businesses that comply pay nothing.

Getting Your Packaging Ready

Whatever you serve, the right packaging is the one that suits your food and your bins. If you’re reviewing your range before the deadline, browse the Albiz collection at albizpackaging.co.uk or contact our team to talk through your options.

FAQs

I have six staff members. When do I need to comply?

By 31 March 2027, as long as your whole business has fewer than 10 FTE employees.

I have two shops with six staff members each. Am I a micro-firm?

No. The count covers the whole business, so that’s 12, and the rules already apply to you.

Do part-time staff members count?

Yes, pro rata by hours. Contractors, self-employed workers and volunteers don’t count.

Do I need to apply for the micro-firm exemption?

No. It applies automatically until 31 March 2027.

Can compostable packaging go in the food waste bin?

No. Packaging labelled compostable or biodegradable goes in general waste unless you’ve arranged a dedicated collection. Compostable caddy liners are the exception.

What about greasy pizza boxes?

If the card is soaked with grease or food and can’t be cleaned, it goes in general waste. Check with your collector whether they’ll accept clean sections torn off.

Does this apply in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?

No. This guide covers England only. The other nations have their own rules.

Where can I read the official guidance?

On GOV.UK: Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England.

This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Rules and guidance can change, so always check the latest GOV.UK guidance and speak to your waste collector.