November 11, 2026
If you run a business, checking the latest waste regulations probably comes somewhere after serving customers, paying suppliers and wondering where the week has gone. Even so, there are a few dates worth putting in the diary for 2027.
Smaller businesses will need to follow England’s workplace recycling rules, drinks retailers have a deposit scheme to prepare for, and some workshops and waste operators may need to review their permits.
We’ve pulled together the changes most relevant to Brighton & Hove, with links to the official guidance so you can check what applies to you.
Anyone who has worked through a sunny bank holiday in Brighton knows how quickly bins can fill up. Deliveries arrive, takeaway orders increase and the cardboard pile seems to grow while nobody is looking.
Brighton & Hove City Council reported 10.5 million day-visits and 1.7 million overnight trips in 2024 in its evidence to Parliament. That trade matters enormously to local businesses, but it also means collection arrangements need to cope with more than an average Tuesday.
The national figures give some context. Defra’s September 2026 statistics estimate that England produced 32 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste in 2024, including 22.7 million tonnes from commercial activities. Even though you cannot control how much packaging is used throughout the city, you can look at what your own business throws away and whether your current waste clearance service still suits your requirements.
Larger workplaces have been covered since 2025, however on 31st March 2027, the Simpler Recycling requirement will extend to micro-firms: businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees, counted across the whole organisation. The following rules must be applied, full details can be found in government’s workplace recycling guidance.
Here is a brief overview:
Before buying waste containers, have a look at what actually goes into your bins during a normal working week. For example, a café might need frequent food waste collections, while an office may find most of its rubbish comes from deliveries and the staff kitchen.
Regardless of the type of business, everything needs to be separated before it leaves your premises; a promise to sort a mixed load afterwards will not meet the government’s requirements. An experienced waste management service can ensure the correct procedures are followed, and that all commercial waste is separated, removed and recycled via the correct route.
The deadline for collecting plastic bags and wrapping film separately for recycling is being pushed back. Businesses and households in England were originally due to have these collections from March 2027, but Defra has announced a new date of 1 April 2030, as explained in the Local Government Association’s August 2026 report. Please note, this delay concerns plastic film only. Small businesses still need to meet the other Simpler Recycling requirements by 31 March 2027.
From 1 October 2027, the ‘Deposit Return Scheme’ will require retailers in England to add a refundable deposit to the price of drinks sold in certain plastic bottles and metal cans. Customers can claim that deposit back by taking the empty container to a designated return point.
The scheme covers single-use PET plastic bottles and aluminium or steel cans holding 150ml to three litres - glass bottles are not yet included in England. Supermarkets, grocery shops, convenience stores and newsagents selling these drinks will generally need to accept empty containers and refund deposits, unless they qualify for an exemption.
For smaller shops in Brighton & Hove, the key exemption concerns size: shops with less than 100m² of retail space do not have to provide a return point, although they can choose to. However, they must still charge the deposit on drinks covered by the scheme.
If your shop accepts empty bottles and cans, you’ll need somewhere to store them until they are collected. Keep them away from areas used for deliveries or customer queues. Ask the Deposit Return Scheme operator how these containers will be collected. Full requirements and exemptions are listed in the official retailer guidance.
This change mainly affects businesses that treat or recover waste under a registered EA exemption, that allows a business to do specific work without an environmental permit, provided it stays within set limits and conditions. For example, if your business processes scrap metal, treats waste tyres or removes parts from scrapped vehicles, you may need to change the permission you operate under.
The proposed reforms would remove three of these exemptions on the 6th April 2027.
This is different from the registration required by a waste carrier, like G&S Clearance, which covers transporting waste. An ordinary shop, café or office arranging commercial waste collection would not usually need this type of permit.
According to the Environment Agency’s guidance (updated on 21 October 2026), the reforms are currently waiting on parliamentary approval. If your business uses a waste exemption, check the guidance for the changes and deadlines that apply to your activity.
Businesses relying on these exemptions would need to apply to the Environment Agency for an environmental permit covering the activity before the reform comes into force. Those applying in time could continue under their exemption while the application is processed.
Government estimates put the cost of waste crime to the UK economy at £1 billion a year and wants to make the movement of waste easier to follow and illegal activity harder to hide. The new legislation will make digital waste tracking mandatory for waste collection companies from October 2027.
The first stage began in England and Wales in October 2026, covering permitted facilities that receive rubbish for sorting, recycling, treatment or disposal. The system records where waste is taken, helping regulators check that it reaches an authorised facility and spot illegal disposal.
The new rules do not replace your existing responsibility to arrange safe, legal disposal of your business waste. When non-hazardous waste is collected from your premises, you need a waste transfer note, or another document containing the same required details. It describes the waste and records who you handed it to. You and your collector must both keep a copy for at least two years. G&S Clearance already provides this information to all clients via email, outlining when, where and how the waste they have removed will be disposed of.
If the same company regularly collects the same type of waste, an annual note, known as a “season ticket”, can cover those collections. You must also keep a separate record of each collection. This paperwork is evidence of the handover, but it is still your responsibility to check that your collector is authorised to take your waste.
Also, it is important for businesses in Brighton & Hove to note that business rates do not pay for commercial waste disposal, so you need to arrange a suitable commercial waste collection service separately. It is also necessary to keep rubbish securely stored until it is collected and to know that it is not permitted to take business waste to household-only recycling centres. You can find more advice in Brighton & Hove City Council’s business waste guidance.
G&S Clearance provides commercial clearance services across Brighton & Hove and the surrounding area, including office clearance, office furniture clearance and WEEE recycling for waste electrical and electronic equipment. Duty of Care documents are issued to all clients, no matter the size of the job, ensuring all waste removal and disposal follows the latest regulations.
If you would like a quote for waste removal in Brighton and beyond, send us a few photographs and tell us what needs collecting. Details such as stairs, a shared entrance or limited loading space help us work out what the job involves.
Whether you need regular business waste removal, you are clearing a stockroom, moving offices or preparing for a refurbishment, we’re happy to talk it through and explain how we can help. Call 01273 303278, email info@gsclearance.co.uk or get in touch online.
Do small businesses in Brighton & Hove need to separate their recycling in 2027?
Yes. If your business has fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees across the whole organisation, you have until 31 March 2027 to follow the workplace recycling rules. That means keeping food waste, dry recycling and general rubbish separate before collection. Even an office that only produces food waste from staff lunches needs to make arrangements. Get in touch with a professional business waste collection provider to arrange the right support and rubbish removal service.
What paperwork should I keep after a commercial waste collection?
For non-hazardous business waste, keep a waste transfer note or a document containing the same required information for at least two years. G&S Clearance provides Duty of Care documents for all clearance jobs, so keep these with your business records. If regular collections are covered by an annual “season ticket”, you also need a record of each collection. Keep both for two years after the final collection covered by that ticket.
Does an office need a separate food waste bin?
Yes. The rules cover food waste from staff lunches and snacks, even if your business doesn’t prepare or sell food. Apple cores, sandwich crusts and other leftovers need to be kept out of the general rubbish and dry recycling. If you run a small office, contact a local business waste collection company for advice and a quote to provide regular collections. Contact G&S Clearance on 01273 303278 or email info@gsclearance.co.uk.
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