Frequently Asked Questions

In the recent Rethinking Our Resources: Measures for Climate Action and a Circular Economy in NI Consultation, DAERA proposed that new recycling regulations would require businesses in seven primary industry sectors to separate food waste, glass, plastics, metals, paper and cardboard from their general waste for recycling. These being:

Health and social care

Human health and social care activities provided by private or public providers including hospitals, GP surgeries, dentists, opticians, ambulance and other medical transport services, pharmacies, physiotherapists, podiatrists, chiropractors, mental health services, residential, nursing and respite care home providers. 

Hospitality

Hotels, restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, quick service restaurants, hostels, motels, serviced apartments, bed and breakfasts, self-catering accommodation, catering businesses, bars, public and private sector canteens, school meals kitchens. 

Retail and wholesale

Wholesale and retail operations including those in the trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles. Includes online retailers and wholesalers as well as those from a fixed operating base.  

Transport and storage

Land, water and air transport operations including bus terminals, train stations, motorway service stations, ports and airports, warehousing providers, logistics and support activity providers, postal and courier services. 

Food and drink manufacturing

Food and drink product manufacturers including of alcoholic beverages such as brewers, wine producers and distilleries. 

Education

Universities, further or higher education colleges and providers, private and public schools, nurseries, kindergartens.  

Office and service sector

Public and office administration, publishers, security providers, building and landscape service providers, TV, sound and film production companies, programmers and broadcasters, telecoms providers, financial service providers, legal and accountancy services, gambling and betting activities, advertising and market research organisations, travel agencies, libraries, archives and museums, arts and entertainment providers, sports, amusement and recreation providers, computer programming providers and repairers, consultants, architectural and engineering services, veterinary providers, employment providers and member organisations. 

The new regulations will affect all businesses, so you’ll still need to follow them even if you only produce a small amount of waste. Existing regulations also place what’s known as a Duty of Care on all businesses who produce waste, regardless of the amount, and require anyone dealing with waste to keep it safe, make sure it’s dealt with responsibly and only given to businesses authorised to take it.  

It’s likely that an enforcement officer from your local council or the NI Environment Agency will conduct routine spot checks and ask to see evidence that you’re complying with the new rules. ​​If you aren’t separating recyclables from general waste, your business could face a fine.  

New legislation coming soon will require all businesses, healthcare establishments and academic institutions to separate a number of recyclables from their general waste. These include glass bottles and jars, metal food and drinks cans, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, paper and cardboard and food waste.

These new regulations will mean that in future, no waste from businesses can be sent for disposal unless it can be shown to have gone through a treatment process. The simplest way to provide this treatment is to separate your waste for reuse or recycling. The aim is to increase recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste we send for disposal. It will also help reduce your business costs, save energy, conserve natural resources and protect the environment.  

This website is the best place to source information and advice on how to implement recycling in the workplace, but you can also find guidance on disposing of commercial waste here. If you have a food-related business, visit Guardians of Grub for specific information and resources. 

No, all registered waste collection companies in Northern Ireland, whether public or private sector, will be required to collect business waste in this way in future. Both councils and waste service providers will therefore be reviewing their services and encouraging more businesses to recycle as much as they can. 

As a business, you have a legal responsibility to ensure that you produce, store, transport and dispose of your business waste without harming the environment. This is called your Duty of Care, it's a requirement of law under Article 5 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.

If your facilities management company manages your waste for you, they’re responsible for ensuring that recyclables are separated, but you’ll need to keep it separate so that they can do this.  

Yes, you both do. If your landlord employs a waste company for you, or you have a waste management contractor, this company has a legal obligation to collect recyclables separately from general waste. However, you will still have ultimate responsibility as the waste producer, so you’ll need to present it separated. 

You’ll need to obtain a waste transfer note from the company or companies collecting your waste. Keep this document for two years, as you may be asked to present it if an enforcement officer from your local council or the NI Environment Agency ask to see it. The UK Government is currently working towards moving this process online, and from April 2025 all organisations that produce, collect or treat waste will need to use the new digital waste tracking system.

As a business or organisation you have a Duty of Care to store the waste your organisation produces safely and to dispose of that waste using a registered waste carrier.  

Make sure any waste or recycling service provider you use is registered to dispose of your waste, visit the Public Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers.

Upcoming legislation changes mean that waste and recycling service providers will have to change too – they’ll need to provide services that comply with the new regulations to ensure that your waste contract will be valid in law, or the contract they hold with you could become void. It’s likely they’re already preparing for this, and they may already be reviewing or finalising new systems. Speak to your provider to find out how the changes they’re planning will affect you. 

The Food Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 prohibit food waste from being deposited in a lateral drain or public sewer.

Food premises producing 5kg or more food waste per week are required to separate food waste from other waste streams, and have arrangements in place to ensure this material is collected for recycling.

The new regulations will apply to all businesses, other organisations and workplaces. They will apply to any organisation or workplace that produces waste similar in nature to household waste, such as packaging made from glass, metal, plastic, paper or cardboard and food waste.

Here is a full list of the recyclable materials you will be required to collect for recycling. 

Yes, If you sell electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations require you to provide a way for your customers to dispose of their old household electrical and electronic equipment when you sell them a new version of the same item., These regulations apply regardless of how you sell the products – online or in a store.  

Regulations also require you to offer a free collection or ‘take-back’ service for waste or used batteries if you sell or supply 32kg or more of portable batteries per year. This is the equivalent of selling one pack of 4 AA batteries per day over a year. If you sell over the 32kg threshold, you’ll need to have a collection point at your premises. These rules apply whether you run a shop, a chain of shops or sell batteries online, by mail order or telephone. 

The Consultation for the Reduction of Single-Use Plastic Beverage Cups and Food Containers in Northern Ireland closed on the 14 January 2022.

The DAERA Minister approved publication of the results in October 2022. Future policy direction will be decided by the Minister (in line with developments across the UK).

A further update on this policy is anticipated in late 2024.

Both private and public waste collectors operate all over the UK. Many large private waste companies operate across the UK whilst other smaller companies may only operate in specific local areas. Your local council may also provide suitable services.

The internet is a good place to start looking for options but ensure that any company you approach is a registered waste carrier, visit the Public Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers.

No, waste collection costs aren’t included in business rates, so you’ll need to pay for such services separately. This does mean you can choose who collects your waste and recycling, though.

This depends on the types and amount of waste and recycling your business produces. The costs for recycling are usually much lower than for general waste, as you’ll avoid having to pay waste disposal costs.   There’s likely to be a separate annual admin fee for providing a Duty of Care/Waste Transfer Note – this is a legal document that shows your business is disposing of the waste you’re producing in a responsible manner.  

Most waste collection companies and councils allow you to make payments for a full contract year, quarterly or spread over the year in instalments via direct debit. 

Most waste companies and councils offer rolling contracts of 12 months and should be flexible on collection frequencies (usually weekly, fortnightly or monthly). A weekly collection is most common, but educational establishments may need this reducing to 42 weeks a year in line with the academic year.  

​​​Your council may accept business waste at its public Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs), but you’ll need to contact them first to make sure. They may have specific requirements for how to bring your waste, such as in bags. Bear in mind that you’ll be charged for its disposal, as HWRCs are only free of charge for householders. For small quantities there’s likely to be a minimum charge.  

If you’re ​​in the building or allied trades, or you’re carrying waste on behalf of a third party, you’re legally required to register with the NI Environment Agency as a waste carrier. Other licensed waste transfer stations may also offer ‘self-tip’ recycling facilities for small businesses, so contact them for details of what materials they accept and for their minimum tonnages and charges.  

Food premises are obligated via the Food Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 which require food premises who produce 5kg or more per week of food waste to separate it from other waste streams for recycling.

DAERA's recent 'Rethinking Our Resources: Measures for Climate Action and a Circular Economy in NI Consultation', proposed changes for recycling from businesses and other organisations in Northern Ireland.

The following materials proposed to be separated and collected for recycling were:

• glass bottles and containers such as drinks bottles, condiment bottles, jars etc. and their metal lids

• paper and cardboard including newspapers, cardboard packaging and writing paper etc

• plastic bottles, pots, tubs trays and drinks cartons (such as Tetrapak®) which are treated as plastics in recycling collections, due to the plastic layer in the laminate

• metal packaging including aluminium cans, foil, aerosol and aluminium tubes such as those used for tomato purée, steel cans/ tins and aerosols.

The consultation also made proposals to extend the obligations of the current Food Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 to cover all businesses and other organisations, with no lower threshold being set for the amount of food waste they produce.

This consultation closed on 27th June 2024, responses are currently being evaluated ahead of final policy decisions being taken.

To comply with the new regulations you will need to provide multiple containers to ensure the various waste streams can be kept separate ready for collection. You will also need to make sure sufficient space is made available for these containers.

If you are a food business who produces 5kg of food waste or more per week, existing regulations already require you to separate this from general waste, meaning you should already have containers at your premises to enable this to occur.

Make sure you consider the practicalities of providing multiple containers for recyclables and waste including providing easy access for employees and waste contractors and ensuring containers do not cause health and safety or fire risks.

Remember you have Duty of Care to store your waste safely and securely.

​​​If you’re struggling to make sure your employees and/or customers are putting rubbish and recyclables in the right bins, it may help to review your communications. Providing clear information about what can and can’t be collected in waste and recycling containers will help staff understand which materials go where, and you could provide training to help ensure they know how to separate waste effectively. We’ve also produced a range of recycling posters, staff training materials and resources to help spread the word. Try to ensure that your bins aren’t accessible to people who shouldn’t be using them; Where this isn’t possible – because your bins are kept in an alley way, for example – ask your waste services contractor to supply you with lockable bins.

Although you’ll need to separate recyclables, you may be able to combine some types into the same container, such as plastics and metals. Talk to your waste collection contractor about their range of container options so you can optimise your recycling service and make the most of the space you have available.  

Yes, you’ll need to enlist a specialist waste company to safely collect, transport and dispose of hazardous or clinical waste. Common hazardous waste types that are unsuitable for general disposal or recycling include: 

• Asbestos 

• Batteries 

• Cooking oils, fats and greases

• Electrical appliances 

• Fluorescent light tubes 

• Fridges, freezers and air-conditioning units 

• Gas bottles and canisters 

• Hazardous or toxic waste 

• Liquids 

• Medical waste 

• Mercury 

• Oil, fuel and other automotive fluids 

• Paints (including residues inside paint cans) and solvents 

• Plasterboard 

• Roofing felt containing bitumen 

• Tyres 

Compostable packaging and other compostable products are designed to be broken down in a different way to recyclable packaging, so you should dispose of them through organic waste bins, if possible (check with your service provider), or with your general waste.  

Some specific items, such as food caddy liners, may be industrially compostable materials. These can sometimes be put into food waste bins when they bear the EN 13432/14955 logo, but always check with your waste or recycling service provider first.