The ‘Simpler Recycling’ legislation will come into effect from 1 April 2025 as part of DEFRA’s (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) waste management reforms. This affects all CHP buildings because all workplaces (businesses and non-domestic premises) in England (with more than 10 employees) have a legal duty to separate recyclable and domestic waste under the arrangements made with their waste contractor.
This legislation covers:
- dry recyclable materials – plastic, metal, glass, paper and cardboard.
- food waste.
- black bin waste (residual waste).
About the Simpler Recycling Legislation
The legislation aims to simplify recycling, reduce landfill waste, and tackle illegal waste activities – the new legislation creates a more sustainable society through improved recycling, delivering both environmental and financial benefits. This includes:
- Standardising and simplifying recycling waste segregation and collection across England.
- Removal of recyclable material and food waste from general waste.
- Reducing contamination in recycling bins.
Read: Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England – GOV.UK (29 Nov 2024).
Who is responsible for waste recycling?
- CHP and tenants:
- Segregate waste and recycling correctly
- Ensure recyclable waste has not been contaminated
- Storage of waste ready for collection
- All waste and recycling must be collected by a registered waste carrier.
- Legislation and Enforcement
- The Environment Agency
- DEFRA
- Legislation forms part of The Environment Act (2021).
Impact on health care buildings
NHS Estates and Facilities play a vital role in delivering sustainability throughout all healthcare services and operations. Waste arising from the provision of healthcare has a significant environmental impact, as well as associated running costs and carbon emissions.
The introduction of the Simpler Recycling legislation is a milestone in how we manage and treat waste, working with our contractors to ensure we continue to minimise our effect on the environment and support the waste hierarchy and circularity principles.
Correct waste management and segregation are crucial in realising the environmental and financial benefits of a Greener NHS (www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs).
What is changing at CHP sites?
Healthcare staff, CHP staff, waste management professionals, and the public all play a part in ensuring that waste produced in our buildings is segregated correctly. As we continue to embed sustainability across CHP, we will be working collaboratively throughout our supply chain to deliver a #GreenerNHS. Together, we can create a safer and healthier world.
This legislation covers ALL CHP sites including those sites where CHP is not responsible for waste collection.
New Bins at CHP sites
The update below covers the 250+ CHP buildings where CHP manages the waste contract for that site.
External Recycling Bins
Each CHP site will have either, a 240L or 140L Food Bin and a 140L Glass recycling bin; these are external bins and should be kept in the external bin store or compound. These new bins are being delivered over the next month.
Internal bins
For CHP sites requiring internal recycling bins, the delivery schedule will be shared once confirmed.
Internal recycling bins and food caddies will be removed by cleaning staff and the contents emptied into the new external bins.
What is contamination?
Contamination means that a bin contains materials that don’t belong there.
In a recycling bin, this can mean non-recyclable materials or items that haven’t been cleaned or emptied properly.
If a general waste bin contains food or recyclable materials, then it is considered contaminated.
Types of recycling bins required after 1 April 2025
- Kitchens, food and drink preparation areas
Kitchens, staff rooms, rest rooms with mini kitchens, and beverage bays will have access to a recycling bin and food waste caddy. - Glass segregation and recycling bins
There are no internal bins for Glass recycling.
Any Glass for recycling at a site needs to be placed either in a box or next to the food caddies for the cleaners to safely remove to the bin store. - Paper and cardboard are part of the Dry Mixed Recycling waste stream from 1 April 2025.
- Paper Hand Towels should be put in the General waste stream.
New Simpler Recyling rules from 1 April 2025
Please see the images below showing which items should go into each of the new waste streams from 1 April 2025.
Correct segregation and avoiding contamination is essential.
What goes in the recycling bins?
What goes in the Dry Mixed Recycling bin?
What goes in the Glass recycling bin?
What goes in the food waste caddy?
Food waste caddies should be lined with a decomposable liner, supplied by the cleaning team.
Any Queries
If you have any queries about waste provision, including the changes for Simply Recycling for 1 April 2025, please contact your building Operations and Relationship Manager.
CHP Tenant Hub
The hub covers information for CHP tenants on health and safety, sustainability, facilities management including HardFM, and SoftFM, leases, charges and billing.
In addition there is information on bookable rooms and filming at our premises.
Contact the Sustainability Team at CHP
If you are a tenant, an ICS or Trust partner, and want to know more about how CHP can support your sustainability plans, please contact your local CHP Property and Operations team or our CHP Sustainability team.
If any tenants have questions about Sustainability at CHP, our Green plan or any other net zero project please contact the Sustainability team via sustainability@communityhealthpartnerships.co.uk and copy in the ORM for your building.
Sustainability at CHP
As part of the NHS family, CHP supports the NHS ambition to deliver the world’s first net zero health system. Sustainable Facilities are one of our five strategic aims and Sustainability is one of our four corporate social responsibility pillars. Aligning with the NHS target of achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2040, the team at CHP are committed to achieve Net Zero Carbon for the LIFT estate by 2040 and 2030 for our corporate functions.
