Why proper waste management is vital for hospitality businesses
28th May 2026
Catering waste management is vital to protect the environment and uphold legal and moral responsibilities.
Every UK business owner has a duty of care under UK law to manage the waste their business produces – including its disposal. Often catering waste ends up in the same bin due to the large amount of waste produced and the lack of facilities catering businesses have.
There’s a growing concern about the large amount of waste the food and accommodation sector generates. It is estimated that the hospitality industry generates around 12% of the UK’s total food waste, contributing around 900,000 – 1 million tonnes per year.
At Everflow, we offer a waste management service that’s tailored to your hospitality business. Lets take a look at why proper waste management is vital for hospitality businesses.
Did you know?
There are many regulations surrounding catering food waste disposal because when certain foods such as raw meats, fish and eggs are poorly separated they can contaminate other recyclable materials, increase odour and pest risks, and create hygiene issues for hospitality businesses. For this reason, it’s important your hospitality business understands the legislation for disposing waste and which bin types you require.
Waste regulations changed in England on 31st March 2025 under Simpler Recycling regulations. Most workplaces must now separate dry recyclables and food waste before collection. Micro-firms with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees have until 31st March 2027 to comply with these same rules.
With Everflow, you can rest assured we will keep you on track with the latest charges, so you avoid fines.
2026 waste management compliance checklist
In order to stay compliant with the Simpler Recycling rules, hospitality businesses should ensure the following:
- Separate mixed recyclables such as plastic, paper, card, glass and metal, as well as food waste
- Review bin sizes and collection frequency to match seasonal demand and waste volumes
- Ensure digital waste tracking is in place and only use reputable waste management companies
- Micro-organisations with less than 10 employees, should start preparing now ahead of the March 2027 compliance deadline.
Which waste management services does your hospitality business need?
Here are our hospitality waste services in order of popularity:
General waste collection
Every customer will require at least one general waste product. We supply over 600 general waste bins, with the most popular type for hospitality businesses being 1100L bins. We offer a huge range of different sized general waste bins. See below for further info.
Dry mixed recycling
We supply over 250 dry mixed recycling bins, with the most popular type for hospitality businesses being 1100L followed by 660L. We also offer 360L and 240L for smaller businesses. This is the second most common waste type in hospitality.
Glass collection & recycling
We supply over 100 glass collection and recycling bins, with the most popular type for hospitality businesses being 240L bins. We also offer 360L for larger businesses and 120L (though even small hospitality businesses will usually need more than this!)
Food waste
We supply over 50 food waste bins, with the most popular type for hospitality businesses being 240L bins. We also offer 120L for smaller businesses.
Washroom services
We supply over 250 washroom bins, with the most popular type for hospitality businesses being feminine hygiene bins. Other options include nappy units.
Waste rules across the UK
While the Simpler Recycling regulations have already been introduced across the UK, it’s important to remember that there are differing waste management rules and regulations depending on where your business is based.
In Wales, workplace recycling laws came into effect on 6 April 2024, requiring businesses, public sector and charities to separate recycling materials for collection. The materials that need to be recycled are:
- Paper and card
- Glass
- metal, plastic and cartons
- food (but only for premises that produce more than 5kg of food waste per week)
- unsold small WEEE
- Unsold textiles
Much like in Wales, Scottish businesses that deal with food and produce more than 5kg of food waste per week must separate it for collection.
Looking ahead: Deposit Return Scheme
Hospitality businesses that sell drinks should also prepare for the UK’s upcoming Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), officially named “Exchange for Change”, across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This scheme will add a small deposit to the price of single-drink containers, only for it to be refunded in cash, card or store voucher when the empty container is returned for recycling. This will require hospitality businesses to think about how containers are collected, stored and returned.
Why Everflow?
Our goal is to make hospitality waste management simple and affordable, so you can focus on running your business.
We understand the nature of your business and can work with you to make sure collection times work for you, sufficient space is allocated for waste storage containers and that the different waste management requirements of back and front of house are catered for.
Our expert team is up-to-date with the complex legislation that hotels, restaurants, bars and pubs face. We can help you put the systems in place to make sure you comply with the law. Whether you have multiple sites or just one, we have a tailored solution for you.
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.
