Food Waste Regulation

The UK is committed to producing more energy from sustainable renewable sources in order to limit climate change.

In addition, the UK also has a legal obligation under the EU landfill directive to reduce the amount of bio-degradable material being sent to landfill.

Legislation is on its way which requires businesses to recycle their food waste. All UK waste policies emphasise the need to reduce food waste to landfill, and Scotland is the first to introduce this legislation, which you can see below:

1st January 2014 – all food businesses which produce over 50kg of food waste a week will be required to have a separate food waste recycling stream

1st January 2016 – all food businesses which produce over 5kg of food waste a week will be required to have a separate food waste recycling stream

1st January 2021 – all biodegradable municipal waste banned from going to landfill

Rules on food waste, taken from the Food Standards Agency:

You must remove food waste and other rubbish from rooms where food is present as quickly as possible, to avoid them building up.

You must put food waste and other rubbish in containers that can be closed, unless you can satisfy your local authority that other types of containers or systems of disposing of waste are appropriate. These containers must be of appropriate construction, kept in sound condition, be easy to clean and, where necessary, to disinfect.

You must have adequate facilities for storing and disposing of food waste and other rubbish. Stores for waste must be designed and managed in a way that enables them to be kept clean and, where necessary, free of animals and pests.

You must get rid of all waste in a hygienic and environmentally friendly way, in accordance with legislation. (There are rules about the way certain types of food waste must be collected and disposed of – contact your local authority for details.)

The waste must not be a direct or indirect source of contamination (e.g. touching surfaces that food is prepared on, or attracting pests).