Simpler Recycling solutions for your hospitality businesses

Now that DEFRA’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ legislation has passed the 31st March 2025 deadline. it’s time to make sure your hospitality business complies with England’s landmark recycling reforms.

For those new to the topic, you are not alone. ‘Simpler Recycling’ seeks to standardise the collection of dry recyclable waste across councils in England. In practice, businesses and non-domestic premises with ten or more full-time employees will be the first required to sort their waste into four separate streams: general waste, food waste, paper and card, and dry mixed recycling.

Failure to comply can result in being issued a compliance notice from the Environment Agency – not only a cause for reputational damage, but one that can come hand-in hand with a penalty fine.

How will DEFRA’s Simpler Recycling legislation affect the hospitality sector?
The UK hospitality sector produces 920,000 tonnes of food waste annually—75% of which is avoidable if properly recycled. With full implementation, more recyclable waste will reach processing units instead of landfills, reducing your business’s environmental impact.
Since food and packaging make up a significant amount of waste from customers and commercial operations, it’s important to ensure recyclables are sorted correctly for collection.

What can hospitality businesses do to comply with Simpler Recycling 2025?
Hospitality businesses will need to implement a method of capturing and disposing of recyclable waste in the new four separate waste streams both internally (e.g. a commercial kitchen), and from the public.

This starts with completing an audit of how commercial waste is currently being managed and applying any necessary changes to ensure the type of recycling bins on offer match up with the new requirements.

The most efficient solution would be to install bins with four separate apertures to accommodate general waste and recyclable waste as required by DEFRA’s Simpler Recycling legislation. Try to make this adjustment as easy as possible for customers and staff alike by standardising the types of bins available, using signage with WRAP-compliant colour schemes and labels, and ensuring the bins have a high enough capacity to avoid overflow or comingling.

Simpler Recycling with Leafield Environmental
Leafield recommends the following recycling bins to keep your hospitality business compliant with DEFRA’s new Simpler Recycling legislation.  

The EnviroPlex Series
Designed with simpler recycling in mind, this stylish bin offers on-the-go multiple waste stream recycling and is the ideal solution for hospitality waste management.
•    200 litre capacity (4x 50 litre plastic liners)
•    Dimensions: H:900mm | W:430mm D: 1200mm (Standard)
•    H:1145mm W:430mm | D: 1200mm (with Foamex signboard)

Now available: the EnviroPlex Recycling Bin with three or four waste streams.

Envirobank 240: Food Waste Recycling Bin
240 to 320 litre capacity | H:1419 | W:741 | D:871mm
Whether it’s capturing food scraps in a corporate cafeteria or managing waste in work kitchens, our durable food waste bins excel in any situation, ensuring efficient waste management and promoting a cleaner, greener future.

View the full food waste bin range  
EnviroBin 100 Recycling Bin
100 litre capacity | H:803mm | W:445mm | D:445mm
The EnviroBin 100 can be used solo or grouped for multiple waste streams, making it a popular choice for internal recycling.

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EnviroStep Recycling Bin: Triple
90 litre capacity | H:970mm | W:600mm | D:370 mm
Ideal for hospitality environments where hygiene is a top priority, the EnviroStep: Triple collects three waste streams of your choice. Its sleek design has minimal components which allows for the bin to be completely stripped down for deep cleaning in less than 8 minutes.
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EcoArc Recycling Bin
80 litre capacity | H: 1100 x W: 333 x D: 600mm

The EcoArc offers a double-sided oval aperture for easy walk-by access. The bins can be used inside or outside, dotted around solo, or grouped together to create a recycling station of your choice

The hooded design will keep the rain out, and the relatively small footprint is ideal for tighter spaces.
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Contact us today to prepare your business for Simpler Recycling 2025
Leafield Environmental has been working closely with businesses to help them prepare their facilities for the changes ahead. Our business development team can offer expert advice, and many of our products have been designed with simpler recycling in mind – so rest assured there will be a solution that suits your business’s needs.

Find out more about Simpler Recycling 2025 in our recent blog.

Get in touch
For more information about Leafield Environmental’s internal and external recycling bins, call 01225816541, email recycle@leafieldenv.com or visit www.leafieldrecycle.com