The waste hierarchy ranks the ways of dealing with waste from best to worst: prevent it, reuse it, recycle it, recover energy from it and, last, dispose of it. Every business in the UK has a legal duty to apply it. The higher up the hierarchy a material is handled, the less it costs and the more it is worth.

Metal recycling is the collection, sorting and melting of scrap metal so that it can be made into new metal. Metal can be recycled again and again without losing quality, and 78.7% of UK metal packaging was recycled in 2024. Unlike most waste, scrap metal has a resale value, so businesses are usually paid for it.

A waste carrier licence is the registration a business needs before it transports waste. In England it is issued by the Environment Agency. You need one if you carry waste as part of your work, including your own, and you can be fined up to 5,000 pounds for carrying waste without it.

A food waste collection is a separate bin for food, emptied by a registered waste carrier and taken to make energy or compost. In England, most workplaces that produce food waste have had to separate it since 31 March 2025. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have similar rules.

Glass recycling means crushing used bottles and jars into small pieces, called cullet, and melting them to make new glass. Glass can be recycled again and again without losing quality. In the UK, 79.1% of glass packaging was recycled in 2024.

Urban mining is the recovery of metals and other materials from things people have thrown away, such as old electronics, cables, vehicles and buildings, in place of digging them out of the ground. The world produced 62 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2022, and less than a quarter of it was recorded as recycled.

A waste transfer note is the record of a load of waste passing from one business to another. The law requires one for every transfer of non hazardous business waste, and both parties must keep a copy for two years. For regular collections, one note can cover up to 12 months.

For cardboard recycling near me, a household can use the council collection or the local recycling centre. A business needs a licensed waste carrier, or a buyer if the cardboard is baled. Enter your postcode below to find waste and recycling companies in your area.

Tyre recycling turns worn out tyres into rubber crumb, fuel and new products. Tyres cannot go to landfill in the UK: whole tyres have been banned since 2003 and shredded tyres since 2006. A business that produces waste tyres must hand them to a registered waste carrier.

Battery recycling recovers the metals inside used batteries, such as lead, lithium, cobalt and nickel, so they can be used again. Batteries must never go in a general waste or recycling bin, because they can start fires when crushed. A business must store them separately and hand them to an authorised collector.

The UK recycled 44.5% of its household waste and 73.2% of its packaging waste in 2024. Those are the latest official figures, published in September 2026. This page sets out the main recycling facts for each material and corrects the myths that surround them.

Waste to energy means burning or breaking down waste that cannot be recycled to produce electricity, heat or gas. In the UK most of it happens in energy from waste plants, which burn general waste to drive a turbine. It ranks above landfill but below recycling.

Confidential waste is any paper, device or item that holds personal or sensitive information and is no longer needed. Data protection law requires a business to destroy it securely. The usual way is a shredding service that works to the BS EN 15713 standard and gives a certificate of destruction.

A sustainable business is one that makes a profit without using up resources or harming people and the environment. In practice it means using less energy, producing less waste, buying with care and telling the truth about all three. Most of the steps also cut costs.

Extended producer responsibility, or EPR, makes the businesses that supply packaging pay the cost of collecting and recycling it. It applies across the UK from 2025 and replaces the old packaging waste rules. Packaging recovery notes, known as PRNs, continue alongside it as proof that packaging waste has been recycled.

Textile recycling is the collection and sorting of used clothing, linen and fabric so that it can be worn again or turned into new products. Most collected textiles are reused, not recycled. In the UK, WRAP estimates that about 711,000 tonnes of textiles are still thrown away in general waste each year.

Zero waste to landfill means that none of the waste a business produces is buried in a landfill site. Everything is reused, recycled, composted or used to make energy. It is not the same as producing no waste, but it cuts cost, because every tonne sent to landfill is taxed.

The circular economy is a way of running the economy so that materials and products stay in use for as long as possible. Things are designed to be reused, repaired and recycled, so very little becomes waste. It is the opposite of the usual pattern of take, make and throw away.

Pallet recycling means collecting used pallets so they can be reused, repaired or, if they are beyond repair, chipped into new wood products. A sound pallet is worth more reused than recycled, and pallet companies pay for standard sizes in good condition. Coloured pool pallets are different: they belong to the hire company and must be returned.

Hazardous waste is waste that can harm people or the environment, such as asbestos, chemicals, solvents, oils and batteries. A business that produces it must keep it apart from other waste, use an authorised carrier and complete a consignment note every time it is moved. This guide explains what counts, what the law requires and how to dispose of it.

Commercial recycling is the separate collection of recyclable waste from a business, such as cardboard, paper, plastic, metal, glass and food. In England it has been a legal duty for most workplaces since 31 March 2025. Done well, it costs less than putting the same material in a general waste bin.

Plastic recycling turns used plastic into flakes or pellets that manufacturers make into new products. In the UK, 53.5% of plastic packaging waste was recycled in 2024, the lowest rate of the main packaging materials. This guide explains how the process works, which plastics are worth separating and what the rules are for businesses.

A waste management plan is a short document that sets out what waste a business produces, how each type is handled and how the amount will be cut. It starts with a waste audit. A good plan lowers the waste bill and shows that the business is meeting its legal duties.

Commercial waste is any waste produced by a business, including a business run from home. It is also called business waste or trade waste. A business must store it safely, hand it only to a registered carrier and keep a record, and some of it, such as metal, cardboard and plastic film, can be sold.

Cardboard recycling works by soaking used cardboard in water to make pulp, cleaning the fibres and pressing them into new board. Paper and cardboard is the most recycled packaging material in the UK, at 80.3% in 2025 on provisional figures. For a business, clean baled cardboard is a product that paper mills pay for.

Sustainable packaging protects a product with the least material, is made from recycled or renewable content, and can be reused or recycled after use. In the UK it is no longer only a choice. A tax on plastic and fees on every tonne of packaging now make packaging that is hard to recycle cost more.

Business waste collection is a paid service: a registered waste carrier empties your bins on an agreed schedule and takes the waste for recycling or disposal. Councils do not collect business waste for free. The law makes you responsible for your waste until it reaches an authorised site, so the collector you choose matters.

Paper recycling turns used paper back into pulp, which mills make into new paper and board. Paper fibres can be recycled about five to seven times before they become too short to use. Paper and cardboard is the most recycled packaging material in the UK, at 80.3% in 2025 on provisional figures.