There's more to your food and glass bins than meets the eye

It’s been just over a month since the Simpler Recycling rules landed in England, and changes are starting to show. Food bins are in use. Glass containers are stacked where they should be. Dry mixed recycling is being handled with more care. And general waste is, at last, finally being reduced, making way for more efficient, responsible waste management.

You’ve rolled out the signage, briefed the teams and started building new routines into the day-to-day. So, what now?

While toeing the rules is the initial goal, the real benefit starts when businesses use this shift as more than just a compliance exercise.

Under the new regulations, businesses in England with 10 or more full-time employees are required to separate out food waste for collection, and other bins assigned for glass waste, dry mixed recycling and general waste. That’s the legal minimum. But how can businesses get more value from what’s already happening?

Why going beyond compliance matters

For many businesses, food and glass waste streams have always gone straight into general waste. Now that it’s being separated, it’s easier to see where waste is happening and why.

In terms of food waste, for example, office managers may observe that communal kitchen waste is higher on certain days, indicating over-ordering or inefficient stock management. Or catering teams might notice certain menu items are consistently left uneaten, prompting adjustments to reduce waste and costs. Then there are the warehouse supervisors that could identify recurring damage to packaged goods or unnoticed items going beyond the expiry date, leading to improved storage practices.

Glass waste, while different in nature, follows a similar logic. In many workplaces, glass waste comes from less obvious places – bottles from staff kitchens, breakages from internal handling, containers from samples or packaging. When unmanaged, it becomes just another disposal cost. But when separated, it becomes trackable, recyclable and even reportable. All this helps your business meet sustainability goals with minimal effort and can lead to practical changes that reduce waste and save money.

At SUEZ, we make food and glass waste recycling easier and more efficient with our fleet of split-body vehicle collection. This means less trips, less hassle and lower carbon impact.

Consistency and commitment

Waste segregation done well and consistently creates better awareness across teams. It supports internal education. It feeds into ESG, social value and environmental reporting, which are aspects that increasingly matter to clients, suppliers and the communities you work in. It also builds a culture where people notice things that aren’t working, and where they feel empowered to do something about it.

It doesn’t mean though that this commitment to do proper waste segregation has to be complicated. Some of the most effective changes are small. These can be anything from clearer bin labelling and short staff reminders to checking the frequency of over-ordered meeting foods and reviewing if glass waste is being disposed of properly.

Beyond all these insights about how you create, manage and dispose of food and glass waste streams, it is also encouraging you to look at the bigger picture. Every business has a role in how we resources. The waste you separate today helps create energy, reduces what goes to landfill and contributes to a more sustainable supply chain. It doesn’t just benefit the environment, it also strengthens your business’ reputation, shows leadership and gives your staff something to get behind.

Simpler Recycling may have started as a legal requirement for many. But what do you with it now is entirely up to you.

Turn compliance into action. Turn waste into insight. And turn bins into a tool for doing better business.

Curious how to do these things and more? Let SUEZ recycling and recovery UK guide you. Contact our friendly team at 0800 083 0504 and let’s talk.