Separate your business recycling and food waste in Scotland

In Scotland the waste duty of care goes further than in the rest of the UK. As well as making sure your waste goes to a registered carrier and an authorised site, you must sort recyclable materials out of your general waste so they can be collected separately. The duty applies to any business that produces waste, whatever its size or sector, and SEPA and local councils enforce it.

What you must separate and how to show it

What to have in place

• Containers that keep glass, metals, plastics, and paper and card out of your general waste. SEPA accepts some mixing of dry recyclables if it does not lower the quality of what is recycled, but advises against collecting paper and glass together.
• A collection contract with your council or a carrier registered with SEPA that keeps each stream separate.
• A food waste bin and collection if you run a food business, such as a café or staff canteen, that the duty covers.
• Signed transfer notes for your waste collections, kept for two years.