From 31 March 2025, schools in England 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.
For information about the legal duty, separating recyclable waste and finding a waste collector visit Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England - GOV.UK
To find out about the waste hierarchy visit Waste hierarchy on the Love Essex website.
If your school has less than 10 employees, you are not required to separate food and recyclable material until March 2027.
Preventing waste
Preventing waste, reusing and recycling as much as possible will conserve valuable resources and could help your school to:
- reduce costs
- demonstrate environmental responsibility to staff and students
- provide valuable educational opportunities
Recycling
In addition to a separate collection for food waste, the recyclable materials that must be separated from general waste for collection are:
- plastic
- food and drink cartons
- metal
- glass
- paper and card
Waste collection
Your local council may be able to provide you with recycling and waste collection services. To explore the range of DfE approved frameworks that offer waste management solutions visit Buying for schools: find an approved framework agreement - GOV.UK
Garden waste
Though not part of the new legislation, if your school generates garden waste, it is recommended that this should be kept separate and collected for recycling or composted.
Plastic film
From March 2027, you will be required to collect plastic films for recycling.
Further help
To find out more, and for resources to help you start recycling in your school or education setting visit Business of recycling WRAP.
Learn more about how recycling and waste fits into your school's Climate Action Plan.
To find out more about taking control of your establishment's waste management systems visit Management Systems | Love Essex and engaging the wider school community School Community | Love Essex.