From 31 March 2025, businesses across England will have a legal duty to separate their waste, including food waste, for recycling. This new law, part of the government’s Simpler Recycling initiative, aims to ensure that waste is managed more sustainably, reducing landfill use and encouraging businesses to take responsibility for their environmental impact. For micro-businesses with fewer than ten employees, the deadline extends to 31 March 2027.
Under the new rules, workplaces must separate dry recyclables (such as plastic, metal, glass, paper, and card), food waste, and black bin waste. Businesses are responsible for arranging waste collection with a registered provider and ensuring they comply with the regulations. The Environment Agency will be responsible for enforcing the rules, with compliance notices issued to those failing to meet the new requirements.
At first glance, this law is a significant step forward in tackling food waste. In a city like Sheffield, where sustainability efforts are growing, it could encourage more businesses to rethink their waste disposal practices. However, while this regulation makes separating food waste mandatory, it does not require businesses to distinguish between edible surplus food and food waste destined for composting. This is a missed opportunity.
Organisations like Food Works Sheffield are already demonstrating how edible surplus food can be repurposed rather than discarded. Food Works collects surplus food from businesses, turning it into nutritious meals for the community. By supporting redistribution initiatives like this, businesses can not only comply with the law but also reduce food waste at the source and contribute to tackling food insecurity.
Saving surplus food from landfills offers major benefits. It prevents methane emissions from decomposing waste, combating climate change. High-quality food reaches those in need, addressing food insecurity. Reducing waste saves money for businesses and households, using resources efficiently. This aligns with the need to combat food inequality, ensuring edible food feeds people instead of being wasted waste.
For unavoidable food waste—such as scraps and expired food—the best option is composting, a sustainable method of returning nutrients to the soil.
The Compost Connection, a Sheffield-based enterprise, aims to provide businesses with an environmentally friendly method to process food waste, transforming it into high-quality compost that can be used to enrich local soil and promote sustainable food production. Their goal is to manage all types of food waste, including meat and dairy, through a carefully regulated composting process system.
The Green Estate Recycling Facility helps businesses sustainably dispose of green waste by turning it into certified peat-free compost. Initially created to combat fly-tipping, it now reduces landfill waste and carbon footprints. Fees range from £6 to £50, with Pay-on-the-Day and account options. Open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM. For drop-off information, call 0114 275 9454.
With mandatory food waste collection, composting plays a vital role in Sheffield’s green efforts. Sustainable composting maintains healthy soil, reduces chemical fertiliser use, and boosts local food production. It cuts emissions from landfill waste and promotes biodiversity. Economically, it supports local growers, businesses, and community projects through nutrient-rich compost. Additionally, reducing landfill waste enhances air and water quality, benefiting public health and fostering community resilience through shared responsibility in sustainable waste management practices.
Despite these promising options, Sheffield currently lacks the infrastructure to meet the potential increase in food waste collection and redistribution. Many businesses might struggle to find appropriate services to comply with the law. Investment is needed to support the growth of redistribution networks and composting initiatives so that businesses have viable, sustainable ways to manage their waste beyond simply sending it to anaerobic digestion plants. Or worse, ignore the law altogether and sneak their waste into landfill.
Businesses also need guidance on how to implement these changes effectively. While the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) offers a useful online tool to help businesses estimate costs and find waste solutions, there is a need for localised advice tailored to Sheffield’s specific recycling infrastructure. More collaboration between businesses, local government, and waste service providers will be key to making this new system work.
Ultimately, this law is a good first step, but it doesn’t go far enough. Without clear incentives for redistribution and composting, businesses may resort to the easiest, rather than the most sustainable, option. Sheffield has an opportunity to lead the way in turning food waste into a resource rather than a problem, but it will require investment, innovation, and collaboration.
For businesses looking to take action now, reaching out to organisations like Food Works and The Compost Connection is a great starting point. By supporting local initiatives and making conscious choices about food waste, businesses can not only comply with the law but also help build a more circular, sustainable economy for Sheffield.
If you’d like to learn more about composting in the city, head to our Growing & Composting page on the ShefFood website: sheffood.org.uk/growing-composting. This Working Group drives and supports strategy, research, learning and projects that cultivate better growing and composting in Sheffield. The Group is open to anyone with an interest in the development of a more sustainable food production system, and meets on a quarterly basis. To learn more or to get involved with ShefFood or the Growing and Composting Working Group, please contact ShefFood’s Partnership Coordination Team at [email protected]
