Simon Rutledge FCIWM CEnv, Group Resources and Waste Policy manager at Biffa, looks ahead to the rollout of Simpler Recycling for households in March and analyses the lessons that can be learned from when it launched for businesses 12 months ago.
The rollout of new regulations for businesses with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees has shown the scale of the opportunity and what it takes to deliver it.
The launch of Simpler Recycling has been a reminder of how quickly the waste sector and the supply chain can mobilise once the required information is available. In only four months, operators across the country prepared thousands of businesses for new food waste collections and changes to mixed recycling services.
The timetable was tight, the details arrived late in November, and the operational changes were significant; yet the sector delivered a national shift in how materials are collected and managed.
Time is of the essence
Those four months stretched the waste sector and its supply chains, creating challenges in several areas.
Container manufacturers faced immediate surges in demand. Vehicle suppliers, with lead times of nine months, were pushed to accelerate existing orders while managing a surge in new ones. Planning teams adapted and expanded collection routes. Drivers, call centre teams, and depot staff were trained at speed to support new service patterns.
Despite the pressure, the sector and supply chain responded and delivered a material impact. Across Biffa alone, the number of businesses separating food waste rose by almost 50% when comparing June to the average of the previous two years.
Tens of thousands of tonnes of organic material were diverted from general waste into anaerobic digestion. We also saw growth in both mixed recycling services and total mixed recycling volumes.
With local authority rollouts beginning this March, the most important lesson is that clarity must come earlier. When timelines shift or critical guidance arrives late, the entire system feels the effects.
Lessons learned from the business rollout
The business rollout has given us a clearer view of what it takes to make regulation work in practice.
Clear guidance must be available well before operational deadlines. Businesses act quickly when they understand what is required, but late updates create last-minute spikes in demand that no operator can absorb smoothly.
We also cannot assume compliance. Despite progress, many businesses still rely on general waste-only services. This is not a failure of intent; it shows that businesses need more support and clearer, more consistent instructions to change established routines.
Operational complexity increases rapidly when time is short. Routing, training, onboarding, customer communications and container deployment all happen out of sequence and at once. With enough time, this is manageable, but when preparation is squeezed, it becomes disruptive.
The sector’s work does not sit in isolation. Other reforms, including Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR), the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), plastic film collections for Simpler Recycling and Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), are all interlinked. A delay in one creates uncertainty in all the others. These lessons are shared across the sector and should shape how the next wave of reforms is introduced.
We have done amazing work
For all the challenges, the industry should be proud of what it has achieved. In a matter of months, service models were redesigned, supply chains re-sequenced, and teams retrained.
Container manufacturers increased production, planners adapted and created routes, call centres handled unprecedented volumes of enquiries, depot teams and drivers adapted rapidly to new materials and collection schedules. Additionally, commercial waste operators were required to do the majority of the awareness and educational messaging.
Within Biffa, we delivered more than one hundred thousand containers, expanded food waste capacity through the acquisition of Keenan’s, and trained staff across every part of the business.
But the success of the rollout did not belong to any one company. It was the combined effort of thousands of people across the sector who understood the importance of getting this right.
And the work is far from done. The household phase will be larger, more complex and more visible to the public. What the sector achieved for businesses needs to be recognised, but it is also a reminder of the scale of what comes next.
How we can do better
The rollout has shown what is possible, and it has clarified what the sector needs to deliver the next stages with confidence. Earlier certainty is the most important requirement.
Operators cannot place vehicle orders, secure container supply or plan staffing without a stable timeline, and late decisions create pressure throughout the system. Certainty gives the sector space to prepare properly and invest at the right moment.
Alignment across reforms is also essential. Plastic films, DRS, pEPR and ETS each influence the economics and logistics of the others, so progress depends on them moving forward on time. When one slows, the rest lose momentum, and the result is non-compliance and unintended consequences.
Businesses, local authorities and households need simple and consistent guidance. Clear expectations make compliance easier and reduce the strain on operators supporting thousands of customers through major change. Good information leads to good participation, and the success of the next phase of reforms depends on both.
The supply chain will also need support as demand grows. Vehicles, containers, processing equipment and infrastructure all require long lead times, and suppliers must have the confidence to invest and expand capacity ahead of need. This is a national effort, and it cannot succeed without a strong and resilient supply chain.
Above all, this should be seen as the beginning of a longer journey. The early phase of Simpler Recycling has shown that, when expectations are clear and shared, the sector can move at speed and deliver real environmental benefit.
If we build on those lessons now, the UK nations can create a waste system that cuts carbon, protects resources and supports long-term economic growth.