The hospitality sector is one of the key pillars in North Yorkshire that keeps the locals entertained and welcomes visitors. We want to support our hospitality businesses, and one of the ways to achieve this is by ensuring they’re following the latest waste management legislation.
One of the most significant developments has been the introduction of the Simpler Recycling scheme, aimed at streamlining recycling, whether at home or at work in England. This means it includes all kinds of businesses, along with charities and public sector organisations.
Here, we focus on the implications of the Simpler Recycling legislation on the hospitality sector and what this means for business owners in North Yorkshire.
What is Simpler Recycling 2025?
Let’s first quickly go over the key changes that were brought about by UK Simpler Recycling legislation in March 2025. The main aim of the changes is to have consistency in what is collected across the country and improve recycling rates for businesses and households in England, as part of the Government’s wider strategy on waste and resources.
First and foremost, the scheme requires hospitality businesses to separate their recyclable and non-recyclable materials. This includes:
- Cardboard and paper
- Glass
- Plastic
- Metal
- Food waste (with its own dedicated collection)
Hospitality businesses typically produce large amounts of food waste, such as leftovers, food preparation waste, coffee grounds, and much more, depending on the establishment. For used oil and cooking grease, small amounts can be collected with food waste. Otherwise, a used cooking oil collection will be necessary.
This affects businesses of all kinds, including those in the hospitality sector. Although firms with fewer than 10 employees are exempt until March 2027. Furthermore, Simpler Recycling will affect each business’s operations differently, depending on the most common type of waste it produces. Sourcing professional support with commercial recycling efforts and planning is essential to ensure you comply with all new laws.
What This Means for North Yorkshire Hospitality Businesses
Along with the legal obligation to separate out their waste, businesses also have a duty to minimise waste and ensure waste disposal is secure, safe, and legal. Simpler Recycling for businesses exists alongside other guidance for businesses, such as the Waste Hierarchy. Understanding the waste hierarchy is essential to minimise hospitality waste and help establish a circular economy across the UK.
It’s important to note that there are items which aren’t typically collected with recycling, and which commonly become waste for hospitality businesses. These include:
- Glass cookware
- Ceramics
- Candles
- Light bulbs and tubing
- Drinking glasses
- Laminated foil (often in coffee pouches)
- Polystyrene
- Tissues and toilet paper
- Wet wipes
Our Recycling Guide for Hospitality Businesses
1. Plan Your Recycling Needs
Whether you’re creating a brand new approach to recycling in your hospitality workplace or expanding on an existing strategy, you should always put a plan in place before making any changes. The first step here is to conduct a thorough audit of your business to determine how much waste it produces and where. Why your business needs a waste audit goes beyond just recycling too; it can reveal various opportunities to improve operational efficiency.
Following on from the waste audit, you can create an action plan to implement Simpler Recycling measures. This will establish clear goals for your business with trackable progress and key dates to work towards. These should be made in consideration of your venue and the type of hospitality you provide. For instance, if you run a pub, restaurant, hotel, or bar, you might want to prioritise your most common type of recycling waste.
2. Get Appropriate Waste Storage Containers
Your business needs to have the right bins for both general waste and recycling, thereby allowing waste to be separated effectively. The best waste containers for your venue will depend on the types and quantities of waste it produces. For instance, food waste and packaging waste containers need to be prioritised near the kitchen and bar. For hospitality businesses, bins should have tight-fitting lids to prevent unpleasant odours escaping. Larger bins are often best, as they don’t have to be emptied as often during busy shifts.
It’s also important to consider where your business will store its waste, as this will keep key areas clean and tidy. Your venue may need to:
- Reconfigure back-of-house and customer-facing bin stations
- Coordinate with waste contractors on collection frequency and new streams
- Ensure signage and workflows are intuitive for busy staff
3. Budget for Costs
Using the information gathered from your waste audit, you can get an idea of the upfront costs of the new recycling plan, such as new bins and training resources, along with forecasting the ongoing costs of waste collections.
According to North Yorkshire Council’s gov website, the goal is to increase the recycling rate across the county from 43% to 65%. Generally, once you start to recycle more, the amount of general waste produced by your hospitality business, and thus the waste cost comes down. It also helps your business avoid non-compliance penalties and meet ESG targets.
4. Staff Training
Hospitality staff, especially kitchen and front-of-house teams, will need training on any new recycling measures. Clear communication is essential to ensure all employees understand the legal basis for recycling, the incentives for the business, how they should go about recycling, and when to prepare for recycling waste collections.
Training for Simpler Recycling can include:
- Which items go into which bins
- Locations of different types of recycling bins and waste storage areas
- The businesses’ recycling goals
- Best practice to avoid contamination (e.g. oily pizza boxes in paper recycling)
- Who‘s in charge of managing waste in each area (who empties bins, orders new liners, etc)
- Food waste handling processes and safety standards
Ultimately, guidance will vary slightly depending on the nature of your hospitality business. Total waste management will include employee training to minimise waste generation and increase recycling rates. The end goal is to improve the experience for customers and staff, as well as ensure compliance.
5. Choose a professional waste partner
Most hospitality businesses operate on a weekly basis for wages, deliveries, and, of course, waste collections. However, your waste collection and disposal services should be flexible to account for changes in demand. For instance, if you host large private bookings or if there’s a major sports event. An experienced waste partner will be able to accommodate your business’s needs by providing solutions that still fit your budget.
Over time, your recycling infrastructure will see many improvements as your business grows and changes. To keep on top of this, you should always stay in touch with your service provider, as they’ll usually be able to help review your current plan and provide expert recommendations. At Yorwaste, we’ve helped a huge range of local businesses cut waste costs and improve recycling rates.
Consequences of Noncompliance for Hospitality Businesses
Any businesses found not to be complying with Simpler Recycling legislation risk receiving a notice from the Environment Agency (EA). Compliance notices can result in various remedial actions, such as installing more bins or updating the business’s waste management partner.
If your business is found to be failing in its compliance, you could face actions in line with EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions policy, which can include fines. Hospitality businesses often work to tight budgets, balancing weekly turnover with the costs of employees and new stock deliveries. Noncompliance fines can be massively damaging, costing the business far more than the necessary Simpler Recycling measures.
Your Waste Partner for Recyclables and Non-Recyclables
Simpler Recycling is here, and it’s the job of all businesses to comply with the legislation. For the hospitality sector, this means putting a comprehensive plan in place to ensure the relevant waste types are separated and collected, monitoring waste generation, and partnering with local waste management professionals.
If you’re still unsure whether your business is doing enough, Yorwaste will provide a free quote and conduct a waste audit of your premises. Don’t get hit with an easily avoidable fine. Improving recycling measures brings long-term cost savings to help your venue grow.
Get in touch if you have any questions about Simpler Recycling or any of the services we provide. Don’t worry, we can provide solutions or help you prepare if you are not in scope until next year.
