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Commercial waste

Businesses have an obligation to ensure that waste arising from their activities is disposed of in a safe and controlled manner. This means:

  • Waste needs to be stored in a secure fashion so that no one else can tamper with it.
  • When it is taken for disposal, either by someone in house or an external company, it is imperative that they have a valid Waste Carriers Licence relevant to the type of waste.
  • Either on a collection by collection frequency, or yearly "milk round" basis a valid Waste Transfer Note is required outlining where the waste has been sent either for disposal or recycling.

Stroud District Council does not operate commercial waste collections but there are a number of companies both within the District and the County who provide this service.

Simpler recycling legislation for businesses

Simpler recycling is new legislation that comes into force from 31 March 2025 for commercial waste and recycling collections.  

The new legislation aims to increase recycling rates by:   

  • Standardising and simplifying what is collected for recycling across England 
  • Reducing confusion about what can and can’t be recycled 
  • Removing recyclable material from general waste so it can be recycled 
  • Reducing the amount of unrecyclable materials going into recycling bins 

 What simpler recycling means for your business

The new law means businesses and workplaces with 10 or more staff will have to recycle any food, plus:

  • metal
  • plastics
  • paper
  • card
  • cartons 
  • glass

This means all businesses and other non-household premises like schools and hospitals with 10 or more full-time employees. 

Businesses with fewer than 10 staff have until 31 March 2027 to comply.  

What your business will need to do differently

For most businesses and workplaces, the biggest change will be that you will no longer be able to just use a general rubbish bin for all your waste.  

If you’re not yet recycling food waste and materials such as:

  • paper
  • card 
  • plastics
  • metals
  • glass
  • cartons

You’ll need to contract with a licensed commercial waste carrier to provide your business with this service. 

Gloucestershire Household Recycling Centres are not licensed to take any business or trade waste. It is illegal for anyone to deposit business or commercial waste at any of our sites.

We are also not able to recommend any private waste companies, although you should be able to find these online or contact your current waste disposal provider.

Find more information on simpler recycling for businesses from:

Further information on how to handle your waste