How to dispose of business, trade and commercial waste

Business waste is not accepted at any Essex County Council (ECC) recycling centre.

What is business waste?

Business waste is any type of waste that comes from a commercial activity.

Anyone who gets paid for their services is therefore operating as a business and will produce business waste, this includes sole traders and people doing one-off jobs, as well as listed companies, shops, landlords, offices and factories.

It may also include people who work from home and produce work-related waste.

If you carry out work for a householder, such as a gardener, tradesperson or house clearance, this waste will also be classed as business waste and cannot be disposed of at an ECC recycling centre.

Workplace recycling

From 31 March 2025 workplaces with ten or more full-time equivalent employees have a legal duty to recycle their waste.

They will be required to apply the waste hierarchy and separate food waste and recyclable material from general rubbish.

This means workplaces must recycle the following materials, as a minimum:

Glass – such as drinks bottles and empty food jars
Metal – such as drinks cans, food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, aluminium food trays and tubs
Plastic – such as rinsed empty food containers and bottles
Paper and cardboard – such as old newspapers, envelopes, delivery boxes and packaging
Food waste

If your business has less than 10 full-time employees, you are not required to separate food and recyclable material until March 2027.

How to dispose of business waste

If you have your own premises

If you have your own premises, such as office, factory, shop or restaurant, you can arrange for a waste management company or your local council to supply a trade recycling and waste collection service for your business.

You can choose from a range of container sizes and collection frequencies to suit your business.

From 31 March 2025 workplaces with ten or more full-time employees have a legal duty to apply the waste hierarchy and separate food waste and recyclable material from general rubbish.

In addition to a separate collection for food waste, the recyclable materials that must be separated are: plastic, metal, glass, paper and card.

You will need to discuss how food waste and dry recyclable materials will be collected with your waste collector.

If your current waste collector does not offer the full range of collection services, you will need to arrange these services from other providers. You must make sure that the company is registered on the Public Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers.

Your local council may be able to provide you with recycling and waste collection services.

Though not part of the new legislation, if your workplace generates garden waste, it is recommended that this should also be kept separate, and recycled or composted.

If your business has less than 10 full-time employees, you are not required to separate food and recyclable material until March 2027.

If you work at a property

If you work at a property, such as a tradesman you can organise a skip hire or bulk waste bag to be delivered and collected by a waste management company. There are many different sizes and types based on your requirements.

If you operate a business away from a fixed premises

If you operate a business away from a fixed premises, such as a man-in-a-van type service, handyman or any other type of business, you could use a commercial waste transfer station or other licenced waste site. You will require a Waste Carriers Registration.

Why is business waste not accepted at ECC recycling centres?

Essex County Council recycling centres are for household waste only.

Business waste is a cost that should be accounted for by the business. When business waste enters ECC recycling centres this is at a cost to taxpayers.

Further information

To find out more, and for resources to help you start recycling in your workplace, visit The Business of Recycling | WRAP.