The United Kingdom has implemented new rules that it hopes will simplify recycling efforts by businesses while also increasing the nation's recycling rate.
As part of the U.K.'s Simpler Recycling initiative, businesses with 10 or more employees now must arrange for the collection of dry recyclables (such as plastic, metal, glass, and paper), along with food waste and non-recyclable waste.
Paper and cardboard will need to be separated from other recyclable goods, but this is still simplified from previous rules, which required workplaces to have as many as six different bins.
"Simplifying the rules for workplaces will make recycling easier, maximizing environmental benefits, delivering cost savings, and stimulating growth," U.K. Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said in a statement.
Businesses with fewer than 10 employees have until March 2027 to abide by the new recycling rules. Similar regulations will take effect for home recycling next year, and curbside plastic collection bins will be introduced for homes and businesses in 2027.
"We will take a pragmatic approach to implementation and will work with stakeholders to support them in overcoming any difficulties they might face in relation to compliance," Steve Molyneux, Environment Agency deputy director of waste and resources regulation, said in a statement.
The U.K. implemented its Simpler Recycling initiative with hopes of boosting its recycling rate — which has been at about 45% for nearly a decade — to 65% by 2035. In the United States, that rate is about 32%, with the Environmental Protection Agency hoping to reach 50% by 2030.
The EPA also estimates that about 75% of all waste is recyclable, meaning there's still a lot of room to grow those rates. This is especially true when it comes to plastic, as it's estimated that only 9% of plastic waste is properly recycled, with about 70% of it ending up in landfills or nature.
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