What is Simpler Recycling?
Simpler Recycling is a set of guidelines designed to simplify recycling, boost participation, and reduce contamination in waste. Starting March 31st, 2025, businesses will need to follow these new standards, including separating recyclable materials.
The key goal is to ensure separate collection of the following waste streams:
- Glass
- Metal
- Plastic
- Paper
- Card
- Food Waste
These changes aim to improve recycling rates and minimise the environmental impact of waste.
Who is Affected by Simpler Recycling?
Businesses – From 31st March 2025
Businesses will need to implement specific changes to their waste management systems to stay compliant with Simpler Recycling guidelines.
Food Waste
Must be separated into a dedicated food waste bin, including any food waste generated by employees, such as lunch leftovers.
Dry Mixed Recycling
Paper, card, plastic, and aluminium can be collected together in one dry mixed recycling bin.
Glass Waste
Requires a separate bin for glass, which must not be mixed with other recyclable materials.
General Waste
All non-recyclable materials will go into a general waste bin.
Households – From 1st April 2026
Simpler Recycling will also affect household recycling. Currently, local authorities set their own recycling rules, leading to confusion and inconsistent practices across the country. Under the new system:
- All households will need to follow the same guidelines, ensuring that recyclable materials like glass, metal, plastic, paper, and food waste are separated from general waste.
This uniform system will make recycling easier and reduce contamination.
DEFRA’s New Guidelines
From 2025, businesses will need to separate paper and card from other recyclables (glass, metal, and plastics), unless their waste collector has completed an assessment to collect them together.
What does this mean for businesses?
With these new regulations coming into effect, waste companies must take action to stay compliant. Here’s what businesses need to do:
Review Your Waste Services
Make sure your waste management provider is equipped to meet the new Simpler Recycling requirements, including proper collection and sorting methods.
Invest in Recycling Infrastructure
You’ll need separate bins for different types of waste, such as food waste, recyclables, and general waste. Updating your waste management systems will be essential.
Update Your Fleet
As recycling rules become more complex, your fleet must be ready to handle the new collection and segregation needs. You may need specialised vehicles that can manage multiple waste streams, such as food waste and recyclables. Investing in the right fleet will ensure efficient and compliant waste collection, while also supporting future changes to regulations.
NRG Riverside’s Approach to Simpler Recycling & Fleet Demand
As businesses prepare for the new recycling rules, there will be a growing need for specialised waste collection vehicles that can handle the different waste streams. Authorities are looking into strategies like recyclable tonnage contracts and optimising collection routes to adapt. However, the lack of clear data and pilot trials might make businesses hesitant to commit to new vehicle options.
“Flexi-hire and contract hire allow our customers to try new vehicles without commitment. The ability to adjust vehicle weights, add recycling streams, or increase payloads as needed gives flexibility while adapting to new recycling routes,”
Chris Snelson, Fleet and Asset Director at NRG Riverside.
To meet these demands, NRG Riverside has made investments to our fleet, including increasing the availability of food waste vehicles in our flexi hire fleet.
“Our food waste fleet is part of our wider offering, which includes skips, walking floor trailers, and split-lift vehicles ranging from 7.5 to 26 tonnes enabling collections of mixed recycling. We also offer twin-body, triple-lift options for on-site sorting, such as 26-tonne Mercedes-Benz Econics with Dennis twin-pack bodies and 16-tonne DAF XB230 FAs with NTM K-2K bodies,”
Key Takeaways
As the UK introduces the Simpler Recycling initiative, businesses and households will need to adjust their recycling practices to stay compliant and contribute to a more efficient, consistent system. By making these adjustments, businesses will not only stay compliant with the upcoming regulations but also play an active role in reducing contamination and improving overall recycling rates.
The demand for flexible, adaptable fleet solutions is rising, and we are ready to support with tailored, flexible vehicle hire options to ease the transition.
Case Studies
Northumberland Council
Northumberland Council recently upgraded its fleet to improve recycling efficiency, using flexi-hire to test different vehicles. After initially hiring a 7.5-tonne Isuzu N75.150E Terberg Orus 6, the council upgraded to a larger 11-tonne Isuzu F110.240E Terberg Orus 7 to increase waste collection efficiency.
“The larger vehicle enables us to collect higher volumes of waste food more efficiently. NRG Riverside’s flexibility of contract, allowed us to finish the day’s collection round with a 7.5T and start the next day with an 11T vehicle.”
Colin Curtis MCIWM, Commercial and Contracts Team at Northumberland Council.
Basildon Borough Council
In 2023, Basildon Borough Council introduced the UK’s first fully electric food waste collection fleet. NRG Riverside supplied seven 12.5-tonne Electra eCargo vehicles, each equipped with Hillend Engineering Micro XHD bodies, as part of an innovative contract-hire agreement that includes full service and maintenance.
The Electra eCargo vehicles offer a 4,900 kg payload and a 140 kWh battery capacity. With a 150 kW DC fast-charging capability, these electric trucks can be double-shifted, extending their range by over 100 miles in less than an hour. NRG Riverside provided a comprehensive service, which included designing and installing appropriate charging infrastructure, ongoing preventative maintenance, and supplying the suitable electric vehicles. This agreement is expected to save the authority 900,000 kg of CO2 over its duration.
“We are pleased to have worked with our fleet partner NRG Riverside in establishing the country’s first all-electric food waste collection service. It’s been a real badge of honour to have introduced this and has helped us to showcase our credentials in delivering good quality frontline services which our residents demand – in a way which minimises the environmental impact of the collection system.”
James Hendry – Assistant Director, Environmental Services, Climate Change and Open Spaces.
