Simpler Recycling, which became law on March 31st, saw food waste collections become mandatory alongside the separation of other recycling materials.
Analysts at Biffa have benchmarked the inflation against the success of the Welsh Workplace Recycling scheme, which saw the food waste recycling volume increase by over two-thirds (67%).
If Simpler Recycling is as successful as Workplace Recycling, Biffa’s experts say England could see a nearly 70% increase in volume of food waste recycled in the country.
The ramifications of the increase could see 8.6 million kilograms of CO2e offset by Biffa customers alone. When converted to energy via anaerobic digestion, that’s enough to charge over 695 million smartphones, power 1,155 homes for a year, or drive 21.9 million miles.
The research comes as Biffa launches its Simpler Recycling Food Waste Calculator to help businesses understand the positive sustainable impact that Simpler Recycling will have by mandating food waste recycling.
Carla Brian, head of partnerships at Biffa, said: “As of April last year, businesses in Wales were required to separate their materials into six containers, and the scheme has seen some impressive results. Between November 2023 and 2024, food waste volumes collected increased by 67% and total recycling volume by 34%.
“These results demonstrate that separation leads to higher material recovery. Less recyclable material is lost amongst the residual waste, while more organic waste is used to produce biogas. Despite Simpler Recycling requiring fewer bins than Wales’s mandated six, we expect to see a similarly positive impact as businesses adapt to the new legislation.”