Trade Waste and Recycling Service

Smart waste and recycling solutions for local businesses and organisations

Our service

We offer a range of trade (commercial) waste and recycling services, including collections of food waste, mixed dry recycling (plastics, glass, paper and card) and general waste, for local businesses, schools, charities and community groups.

Our service is competitively priced and tailored to meet your needs. Fees are all-inclusive, with no hidden charges or complicated contracts.

We collect a wide variety of materials for recycling including food, paper, card, plastic, cans and glass. This makes it easier for you to stay compliant with waste and recycling legislation and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

We offer a range of containers and sacks to meet your needs. Our containers range from 240-litres (4 bin bags) up to 1100-litres (18 bin bags), with 23-litres also available for food waste.

If your business produces food or mixed dry recyclables, you may be able to save money by separating these materials and switching to a smaller general waste bin.

Special collections, including clinical and bulky waste, are also available by quotation.

Who needs trade waste collections?

'Non-domestic' waste is not removed for free. It is illegal to put it in any household bin, household recycling centre or bring bank.

You must organise a trade waste collection if you are a:

commercial business
school or club
residential care or nursing home
doctors' surgery
healthcare facility
holiday rental property
charity shop
factory
agriculture business
public hall; or
self-employed or running a business from home

These groups have a 'duty of care' under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This means:

Your waste must be stored and transported securely.
From March 2025 food waste and recycling materials must be separated for larger businesses, and March 2027 for all businesses.
Your waste must be handled by a licenced waste carrier, such as the Council, and taken to a licenced waste disposal site.
You need to retain records of waste collection and transportation for at least 2 years. We can help with this.

Workplace waste and recycling legislation

From 31 March 2025, new recycling legislation relating to dry recycling and food waste came into effect across England.

Under this legislation, businesses with 10 or more full-time employees will be required to separate their dry recycling and food waste from their general waste. They must also arrange for these waste streams to be collected separately by an approved waste contractor. This new legislation is aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the commercial sector and promoting sustainability.

What is the new recycling legislation?

According to the Environment Act 2021, the new legislation mandates the following:

Businesses in England with 10 or more employees must arrange for separate food waste collections by a licensed waste carrier. ('Food waste' is defined to include a wide range of biodegradable materials, such as fruit and vegetable peels, bones, eggshells, coffee grounds, and even tea bags)
Dry waste, Mixed Dry Recycling (MDR). The below list collected co-mingled in a single bin:
- Glass - such as drink bottles and rinsed empty food jars
- Metal - such as drink cans, rinsed empty food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, aluminium food trays and tubes
- Paper and card - such as old newspapers, envelopes, delivery boxes and packaging
- Cartons - such as composite drinks containers e.g. 'Tetrapak' blocks
- Plastic - such as bottles and rinsed empty food containers

These two main categories of waste types must be kept separate and stored/presented in a manner to ensure they are not contaminated by non-recyclable waste, maximising their potential for recycling.

Businesses with fewer than 10 full-time employees have until 31 March 2027 to comply with the legislation.

Fenland District Council can offer, at competitive rates, the separate collection of, Mixed Dry Recycling (MDR), Food Waste and General Waste.

Please contact us if you'd like to discuss your business requirements.