What Businesses Need to Know
From 31st March 2025 new regulations will be introduced to impose stricter measures on businesses that generate food waste. These changes are a key part of the continued efforts to reduce waste to landfill, lower gas emissions and promoting sustainable practices.
What Are the New Requirements?
The updated regulations will affect businesses that produce more than 5kg of food waste per week. Here’s what businesses will need to do:
- Separate Food Waste from Other Streams: All food waste must be segregated from general waste.
- Arrange for Authorised Collections: Businesses must partner with licensed waste carriers to collect and manage food waste in compliance with the new guidelines.
- Use Approved Processes: Food waste must be recycled through sustainable methods such as: Anaerobic Digestion (AD): Converting food waste into biogas and digestate.
Why Are These Changes Happening?
Food waste accounts for a significant portion of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. When sent to landfill, food waste produces methane—a potent greenhouse gas. The new regulations aim to:
- Encourage Circular Economy Practices: By turning food waste into valuable resources such as energy.
- Reduce Environmental Impact: Diverting food waste from landfills significantly reduces methane emissions.
Who Will Be Affected?
The regulations will impact a wide range of industries, including:
- Hospitality and Catering: Restaurants, hotels, and event venues must ensure all food waste is properly managed.
- Food Retail and Supermarkets: Stores generating waste from unsold food items will need to comply.
- Food Manufacturing: Producers and processors of food byproducts will also need to adapt to the new rules.
Guidance on food and waste hierarchy is available here: Food and drink waste hierarchy: deal with surplus and waste – GOV.UK Food and drink waste hierarchy: deal with surplus and waste – GOV.UK
