Set up general waste and recycling
You need a commercial waste contract before you open — councils generally do not collect trade waste from businesses on the household round, so you contract with a licensed waste carrier (often the council's trade waste arm, sometimes a private contractor) for general waste and dry recycling, sized to your covers and delivery volumes.
You need a commercial waste contract before you open — councils generally do not collect trade waste from businesses on the household round, so you contract with a licensed waste carrier (often the council's trade waste arm, sometimes a private contractor) for general waste and dry recycling, sized to your covers and delivery volumes. In England and Scotland you now also have a legal duty to separate specific waste streams rather than bin everything together — see the nation-specific detail below.
With no contract, waste has nowhere to go and you end up either paying premium one-off collection rates or, worse, someone fly-tips it — which is a criminal offence that lands on you as the waste producer, not just whoever physically dumped it. Mixing waste streams you are legally required to separate can also draw a fine from the Environment Agency or SEPA.
England
About 6 weeks before opening, so bins, storage space and the first collection are sorted before you are trading.
£20-£90 a month per bin depending on size, frequency and how many waste streams you separate
Ask what streams they collect separately and confirm they hold a current waste carrier licence.
Scotland
About 6 weeks before opening, so bins, storage space and the first collection are sorted before you are trading.
£20-£90 a month per bin depending on size, frequency and how many waste streams you separate
Ask what streams they collect separately and confirm they hold a current SEPA waste carrier registration.
Who this is for
Every venue producing commercial waste — there is no size exemption for the basic duty of care.
What you’ll hold
- Waste contract/agreement
- Waste carrier registration number on file
Watch out for
- Sizing bins for opening week volumes rather than a normal trading week — you either run out of capacity or pay for collections you don't need; ask your contractor to revisit after a month of real trade.
- Not checking the contractor is a registered waste carrier — using an unregistered carrier is an offence for you as the waste producer, not just for them.
- Assuming the landlord's or previous tenant's waste contract transfers automatically — it doesn't, and gaps between tenancies are exactly when fly-tipping happens on your account.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England checked 2026-09-02
- SEPA — Recycling and food waste for business checked 2026-09-02
- Environment Agency — Register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers checked 2026-09-02
See also
- Glass collection
- Used cooking oil collection
- Start your waste transfer note file
- Waste contract review and transfer-note file— this becomes an ongoing job once you’re open →
This is item 64 of 66 in the free UK Launch Checklist. See the whole list →