Simpler Recycling faces the reality of rollout

That idea surfaced repeatedly throughout the discussion at our recent webinar, ‘Simpler Recycling – are we ready for a roll-out?’ as speakers explored the next phase of Simpler Recycling.

The webinar, hosted by SUEZ's Chief Sustainability and External Affairs Officer in the UK Dr Adam Read MBE, brought together speakers from local government, waste management and Wales’ recycling sector to discuss how preparations are progressing across England, what lessons can be learned from Wales’ longer-established approach and where some of the biggest pressures may still lie.

The expert panel consisted of SUEZ's Chief Technical Development and Innovation Officer UK, Stuart Hayward-Higham; Gareth Rollings, Chair of LARAC, Head of Waste, West Sussex County Council; and James Kay, Director, Resource Efficiency Wales Ltd, Resource Efficient Data.

Since March 2025, workplaces in England with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees have been required to separate recyclable materials and food waste from general waste, with smaller businesses due to follow in 2027 and households switching in the last month or so. As more organisations adjust to the changes in practice, the conversation is starting to move beyond compliance dates and into something more practical, which is what makes new routines work consistently over time.

More than just bin sizes and colours, Simpler Recycling is about consistent materials that can be recycled. The discussion moved well beyond legislation and timelines. Speakers talked openly about delayed vehicle deliveries, infrastructure pressures, communication challenges and the practical realities of changing routines and behaviours at scale. At the same time, the panel also recognised that councils have already done an enormous amount of work behind the scenes to prepare services for rollout.

Huge amount of operational work

One of the strongest themes throughout the webinar was just how much coordination is happening quietly in the background.

Around half of councils already had some form of food waste collection before the reforms, but many are now expanding or adapting services to meet the new requirements.

That has involved new fleet orders, route redesigns, depot planning, staff recruitment, training and the logistics of getting bins and caddies distributed at scale.

Vehicle procurement delays have also created challenges for some local authorities, with one reportedly incurring around £700,000 in additional costs linked to delayed vehicle deliveries.

Speakers also highlighted the operational pressures that continue after rollout begins, including workforce consultation, contingency planning and managing new collection systems in practice.

It was a useful reminder that successful rollout is not just about launching a service. There is a long operational process sitting underneath it.

Consistent communication in collection

Simple and clear communication (and instructions) about recycling accessible to everybody will help maintain, if not increase, participation and reduce contamination over time. Consistent messaging is a must.

While digital channels and social media are important, more traditional approaches such as leaflets and local community engagement still matter, depending on local demographics and levels of awareness.

Some councils experienced social media pushback early on, but speakers noted that positive resident experiences often helped reinforce participation over time. This shows that recycling habits do not usually change overnight but tend to build slowly through routine and familiarity.

Lessons in long-term consistency

If there are lessons that others can learn from Wales, it’s maintaining relatively consistent legislation, targets and policy direction around recycling.

The result? Wales’ municipal recycling rate is more than 68% (up from the previous 66.6% in 2023-2024, alongside 99.9% weekly coverage for separate food waste collections.

If there are lessons England can learn from Wales in terms of both household and business recycling, it’s that clarity beats complexity and that you must design a system and stick with it. The Welsh government also imposed fines for failure to meet those targets. And they put behaviour change at the heart of their delivery.

Structural differences were also discussed. Welsh local authorities manage both waste collection and disposal, while England’s complex set of different structures and large geographies “with lots of moving pieces” can make targets more challenging.

One speaker suggested benchmarking English councils against Welsh counterparts as a way of identifying realistic progress goals and practical lessons.

Businesses facing their own pressures

While much of the discussion focused on local authorities, and the recent deadline for simpler recycling roll-out, the panel was clear that businesses are facing a significant adjustment too.

An estimated two to three million small businesses in England are expected to fall under upcoming food waste recycling requirements. According to one speaker, this is an audience that “has not had any communication yet about Simpler Recycling, apart from some information on social media” due to the lack of national campaign.

The speakers noted that communication and engagement with businesses still feel uneven in places, particularly compared with Wales, where regulators have taken a more active role in outreach and guidance. The concern is that Simpler Recycling is not on the top of the list for SMEs that will be affected by the 2027 rollout.

One guest reminded us that Simpler Recycling needs to be viewed along with several overlapping reforms, including Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility and Deposit Return Schemes. Taken alongside businesses’ wider cost increases, operational pressures and supply chain challenges, it’s quite a tricky recycling journey to navigate.

Besides communication, consistency and practical implementation issues, the webinar also highlighted the importance of data and measurement.

Speakers talked about how operational data helps councils understand contamination trends, participation levels and where communication efforts need improving. But they also noted some of the practical difficulties around collecting detailed and accurate information.

One interesting topic that came up at the webinar is the “five 90” principle associated with recycling performance. It’s the idea that if 90% of people do 90% of the right thing 90% of the time, and 90% of the material passes through the collection and sorting phase with 90% passing through the recycling phase, recycling rates still land closer to around 60%. This was a useful way of illustrating how recycling systems rely on long-term consistency across millions of small daily actions.

Despite the challenges discussed throughout the session, the overall tone remained constructive and realistic.

Infrastructure investment remains a major long-term consideration. Wales has reportedly invested around £1 billion into waste infrastructure over the past 20 years, while England would require significantly greater investment over a shorter timeframe to achieve similar progress.

If anything, the webinar reflected a sector trying to balance ambition with the realities of implementation. What it clearly showed, though, is how we can make Simpler Recycling work well over time.

For their closing takeaways, Gareth emphasised the need to “think longer term”, James highlighted the importance of future generations, while Stuart returned to the point that surfaced repeatedly throughout the session: “Good data drives good performance.”

If you missed the live webinar session, you can watch it on demand here.