Waste management rules and regulations: what’s changing for 2026
10th January 2026
Effective waste management is a crucial part of any successful business strategy, maximising efficiency, promoting sustainability and bolstering your company’s reputation.
Staying up to date with the latest rules and guidelines is therefore essential. 2026 is set to introduce both major and minor changes to existing waste management regulations in the UK – changes all businesses need to be aware of.
Here are all the upcoming changes to waste management rules, how they will impact your business, and what you can do to ensure you are well-prepared.
Key regulatory changes coming in 2026
In March 2025, the UK Government’s Simpler Recycling initiative came into effect, with the aim of boosting recycling rates, reducing landfill waste, and saving business’s money on waste collection. It required all businesses with 10 or more employees to separate their waste into three categories: dry recyclable waste, food waste, and non-recyclable waste.
In March 2026, these rules will apply to UK households, and to micro-businesses by early 2027. Failure to comply could result in a compliance notice from the Environment Agency, meaning all smaller businesses should begin preparing now in order to avoid future penalties.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) updates
Any business which uses, handles, imports, or generates packaging in the UK market will be affected by the new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation. It requires UK businesses to pay fees based on the packaging materials they place on the market, with the aim of shifting the costs of managing waste products from taxpayers and local authorities to the producers. The next deadline is 1st April 2026.
Variable fees intend to promote the use of materials that are more easily recyclable. Affected businesses may need to report their packaging use, pay fees, and purchase Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs).
The new EPR legislation affects anything which becomes ‘household packaging’. This refers to any packaging on products which will enter households, offices, and other consumer premises, encompassing primary packaging used for goods, food and drink, and postal packaging.
EPR fees will not apply to secondary or tertiary packaging, used primarily to transport goods in B2B applications.
Impacts on businesses of all sizes
Both the Simpler Recycling initiative and the EPR legislation will affect businesses of all sizes sooner or later, with Simpler Recycling applying to micro-businesses from spring 2027.
EPR will require all individual businesses, subsidiaries or groups (but not charities) to collect and report their packaging data for a given year, as well as register their organisation with the government.
Small businesses (those with an annual turnover of £1-2 million, responsible for supplying over 25 tonnes of packaging) will need to report their packaging usage, but their packaging supplier will be responsible for purchasing PRNs and any other fees or charges.
Larger businesses which earn over £2million per annum and supply over 50 tonnes of packaging will be responsible for their own PRNs and other fees as part of EPR. Small business vs medium/large enterprise obligations.
Practical steps for business preparedness in 2026
The most effective way to prepare your business for upcoming waste management regulation changes is to conduct a waste compliance audit. Once you know what kind of waste your business produces and how it is disposed of, you can begin to update your policies to adhere to any regulation changes, and train your staff to separate, label and dispose of waste in the correct way.
Partnering with licensed waste carriers and auditors will make this much easier. Finding commercial waste collection services which will not only ensure your business complies with the latest rules and regulations, but will make it more streamlined, more eco-friendly, and more cost effective.
Contact Everflow today!
At Everflow, our goal is to make your utilities simpler – we ensure you get great-value contracts that are tailored to your needs and easy to manage. Get a bespoke quote using the link below.
