Get Ready to Recycle

The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025 comes into effect from 31 March 2025.  It means that all businesses and organisations in England with 10 or more full time equivalent employees will need to separate recyclable materials from general waste as follows:

• Food waste must be separated into a food waste bin.  Not only will this apply to your catering kitchen, but to food waste generated during food technology lessons, and also staff food waste.
• Dry mixed recycling including paper, card, plastic, metal and glass.  These can all be collected in one bin.

Be aware that if your Trust fails to comply with the Waste Regulations, they could face penalties.

The 5 Rs of waste management

Before you dive straight into ordering more recycling bins, consider the following 5 Rs of waste management:

1. Step 1 Refuse – Identify opportunities where you can stop waste entering your schools.
2. Step 2 Reduce – Identify opportunities where you can reduce the amount of waste.
3. Step 3 Reuse – Identify opportunities where items can be reused.
4. Step 4 Repurpose – Identify opportunities where items can be used for a different purpose than originally intended.
5. Step 5 Recycle – Ensure that your Trust is equipped to recycle in accordance with the Waste Regulations.

Implementing the 5 Rs in schools

Set out below are some examples of how schools can implement the 5 Rs of waste management.

Step	Examples
Refuse	Eliminate one-use plastic water bottles and cups by insisting students and staff use reusable water bottles, but don’t forget to ensure you have sufficient water dispensers.Question if your schools really need to use laminators as plastic coated paper cannot currently be recycled.
Reduce	Swap individual printers for multi-functional devices (MFDs) which copy, scan and e-mail.  Ensure staff are issued with access codes for the MFDs so the amount of printing they do can be monitored.  This will reduce your toner consumption, the amount of different toners you need to order, as well as your paper usage.For deliveries such as furniture where possible arrange for your supplier to remove the packaging and remove it from site.
Reuse	Change your dining arrangements so that students eat with reusable crockery and cutlery instead of using takeaway boxes.Set up a school composting scheme for waste food.
Repurpose	Investigate options for repurposing both in schools and in your local community.  There are numerous organisations which will recycle your redundant IT equipment – find one that’s local to you.
Recycle	Ensure that your Trust is complying with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013.

WEEE recycling

In accordance with the WEEE Regulations, schools should already be recycling the following items:

• Large appliances such as fridges, freezers, cookers, washing machines, and microwaves.
• Small appliances such as vacuum cleaners, toasters, and clocks.
• Lighting equipment such as fluorescent tubes.
• Electrical and electronic tools such as drills, saws, and sewing machines.
• Sports equipment such as running machines and cross-trainers.
• Automatic dispensers such as drink machines.

Where should you start?

• Carry out a waste audit – Even if you have recycling processes in place, it’s good to take a holistic approach by carrying out a waste management audit to identify where your Trust has already implemented the 5 Rs and what opportunities still remain.  Engaging students to do this is a great way to get their ideas and buy in.
• Priorities actions – Once you’ve completed your audit, prioritise the items which are used the most in your school.  If you can’t refuse, reduce, reuse or repurpose them then find a way to recycle them, ideally helping your local community at the same time as reducing your waste bill.
• Identify waste procedures – Draw up a waste management plan for each of your school sites and ensure you have the appropriate waste management contracts in place ie will you require more recycling bins lifts?
• Order waste recycling containers – identify what additional waste recycling containers you will need to implement your waste management plan.
• Communicate and implement waste procedures – Ensure that all staff and students are aware of the new recycling procedures.  Publicise the procedures at assemblies, staff meetings, and by ensuring staff and students are abiding by the procedures on a day-to-day basis.
• Implement a culture of recycling – Trusts need to ensure that recycling becomes part of “the way we do things round here”.  This will only be achieved by constant reinforcement through messaging and the modelling of behaviour. 
• Incorporate recycling requirements into your Trust’s contracts – Ensure that you make explicit your recycling requirements in any future contracts and with your existing suppliers.  Even if you already have contracts in place, ensure that you meet with your contractors to discuss the new Waste Regulations and how they can comply with them.

Further information can be found at:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/666/pdfs/uksiem_20240666_en_002.pdf

https://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/waste-electrical.htm