Simpler Recycling for Restaurants: What Changes in 2027
Restaurants, takeaways and cafés produce more food waste than almost any other kind of business. That makes the Simpler Recycling law especially important for anyone in hospitality.
Under the rules, food waste can no longer go in your general waste bin. It needs its own bin and its own collection. Bigger restaurants should already be doing this. From spring 2027 the rules reach every small café and takeaway too. Here is exactly what the law asks of you and how to get sorted before the deadline.
⚖️ Key date for small food businesses
Restaurants, cafés and takeaways with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent staff must be separating food waste by 31 March 2027.
Which deadline applies to your restaurant?
10 or more FTE staff
Already in force
You should have been separating food waste since 31 March 2025.
Fewer than 10 FTE staff
31 March 2027
You need a separate food waste collection in place by this date.
Watch out: full-time equivalent means adding up everyone’s hours, including part-time kitchen porters and weekend waiting staff. The count also covers your whole business. A small group with two or three sites can easily go over 10 FTE in total.
What the law requires
Every restaurant must keep three types of waste separate before it is collected:
🍽️
Food waste
Kitchen scraps, plate waste and anything edible. Its own bin, its own collection.
♻️
Dry recycling
Glass bottles, cans, cardboard boxes, paper and plastic packaging.
🗑️
General waste
Only what genuinely can’t be recycled.
From 31 March 2027, plastic film such as cling film and plastic bags is also added to the plastic recycling stream for all businesses. That is a big one for busy kitchens.
What counts as food waste in a restaurant?
Pretty much everything edible, plus the bits that aren’t. There is no minimum amount.
Front of house counts too
Food left by customers is covered by the rules. If diners clear their own tables, government guidance says it is best practice to give them separate bins for food waste and recycling.
🛢️ What about used cooking oil?
Used cooking oil should be collected separately by a licensed oil collector. Never pour fats, oils or grease down the sink. They cause blockages and can land you with a hefty bill.
Making it work in a busy kitchen
The rules are simple. The challenge is fitting them into service without slowing anyone down.
🔪
A caddy at every prep station
Make the food waste bin the easiest bin to reach. If it is closer than the general waste, it gets used.
🍽️
A scraping point at the pass
Scrape plates straight into food waste before they go to the pot wash.
🏷️
Clear colour-coded labels
New starters and agency staff need to get it right on day one. Simple signs above every bin help.
🔒
Lids on, lined and secure
Keep caddies lidded and the outside bin locked. Regular collections keep smells and pests away.
Cut your food waste, cut your costs
Every bit of food you throw away is money you have already spent. Separating your food waste shows you exactly how much is going in the bin. Use that to:
- spot the dishes that keep coming back half eaten and adjust portion sizes
- rotate stock so the oldest gets used first
- turn surplus ingredients into specials
- order little and often for short-dated items
Your compliance checklist
Check your FTE headcount
Add up hours across all your sites to see if your deadline is 2025 or 2027.
Book a separate food waste collection
Use a registered waste carrier and make sure your bin size and collections match how much you produce.
Set up your kitchen and front of house
Caddies at prep stations, a scraping point and clear signs.
Sort your dry recycling
Glass, cans, cardboard and plastic. Add plastic film from 31 March 2027.
Train your team
Show every member of staff what goes where. Include it in new starter inductions.
Keep your waste transfer notes
They prove you are compliant if the Environment Agency ever asks.
Want the full background on the law? Read our guide: Food Waste Law: Why Every Business Now Needs a Food Waste Bin.
How Hartes can help
We collect food waste from restaurants, cafés and takeaways across London, Essex and Hertfordshire. We’ll help you work out how many bins you need, collect every week and give you the paperwork to show you are compliant.
£42.25
a month for weekly food waste collection
£9.75
per lift, cheaper than Biffa and First Mile
✓ Licensed
Environment Agency waste carrier CBDU617131
Get your kitchen compliant
Food waste collections for restaurants, cafés and takeaways.
This article is general guidance based on the government’s Simpler Recycling rules for workplaces in England. For full details see GOV.UK: Simpler Recycling, workplace recycling in England.
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