In force from 31 March 2025 for all businesses except micro-businesses (fewer than 10 employees), who have until 2027. Businesses must now separate waste into at minimum three streams: Dry Recyclables, Food Waste and General Waste. Cleaning contractors and facilities management teams whose scope includes waste management or building cleaning have direct obligations under these rules — and may have obligations to advise or support clients who are not yet compliant.
The mandatory business waste separation rules that came into force on 31 March 2025 represent the most significant change to commercial waste management obligations in England in recent years. For cleaning contractors and facilities management teams, the rules create both direct compliance obligations — for waste generated by your own operations — and indirect obligations where waste management forms part of your client service scope.
What the rules require
From 31 March 2025, all businesses in England (with the exception of micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees, who have until 2027) must separate waste into a minimum of three streams before collection:
- Dry Recyclables — paper, card, plastic, metal, glass. These must be kept separate from general waste and presented for separate collection.
- Food Waste — all food waste must be separated from general waste and collected separately. This applies to businesses that generate food waste including office kitchens, hospitality venues, food production facilities and any premises with catering operations.
- General Waste (residual) — non-recyclable, non-food waste that cannot be separated into the above categories.
Businesses must use a waste carrier licensed by the Environment Agency and must not mix separated waste streams. Waste transfer notes must be retained for at least two years.
How this affects cleaning contractors
Your own operational waste
Cleaning operations generate waste — used packaging from chemicals, disposable cleaning materials, contaminated PPE, used mop heads, filter bags from dust extractors and vacuums. All of this waste is subject to the separation rules if generated at a business premises. Cleaning contractors operating from a depot or office must implement separation for operational waste generated at those premises. Cleaning contractors working at client sites must not mix waste streams in client waste facilities and must ensure that waste generated by cleaning operations is correctly separated before disposal.
Client-facing obligations where waste management is in scope
Where a cleaning contract includes waste management — bin emptying, waste area maintenance, waste compactor management or general waste handling — the contractor becomes involved in the client's compliance with the separation rules. Contracts written before March 2025 may not reflect the new requirements. Review any contract where waste handling is in scope and confirm with the client how separated waste streams are to be managed and collected.
Waste generated during cleaning operations
Some cleaning operations generate waste that requires specific disposal routes regardless of the general separation rules. Waste cleaning water containing chemicals must not be disposed of to surface water drains — this is a separate requirement under Environmental Permitting Regulations. Dust extraction filter bags containing hazardous dust — asbestos, mould, silica — must be disposed of as hazardous waste under separate regulatory requirements. The separation rules do not override these more specific obligations.
Penalties for non-compliance
The Environment Agency and local authorities have enforcement powers for non-compliance with waste separation requirements. Fixed penalty notices can be issued to businesses that fail to separate waste correctly. Businesses that mix waste streams, use unlicensed waste carriers or fail to retain waste transfer notes face potential fines. For cleaning contractors, a failure to manage client waste correctly on site could also constitute a breach of the service contract.
Related guidance
Environmental Permitting — washdown and runoff COSHH Regulations 2002 Facilities management hub Cleaning trade hub Waste management and recycling hub Choose the right machine for the job
