Getting mixed recycling right can save your business time, cut waste costs, and reduce your environmental impact, building a future that’s a few shades greener. However, it can be confusing to know what belongs in the bin and what doesn’t, and it’s easy to get it wrong.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know about mixed recycling — from what it is, to what you can include, what to avoid, and how to handle materials properly. Let’s clear things up and help your business recycle with confidence.
What Is Mixed Recycling?
Mixed recycling, sometimes referred to as dry mixed recycling (DMR), allows for the collection of various recyclable materials in a single bin, provided they’re clean and dry. It’s a straightforward system that helps reduce the number of separate containers a business needs while maintaining high-quality recycling.
Common materials included in mixed recycling are paper, cardboard, plastic containers, glass bottles and jars, and metal tins and cans. Waste removal services collect these items and send them to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where they’re sorted into individual streams before undergoing processing, such as shredding, melting, or pulping, to transform them into raw materials for recycling.
What Can Be Recycled Together?
Clean, dry recyclables can go in the same bin. Think office paper, magazines, and cardboard packaging, alongside plastic drink bottles, washing-up liquid containers, and yoghurt pots. Glass bottles and jars are also suitable, as are aluminium and steel cans. The crucial detail is ensuring everything is empty, rinsed, and dry. This prevents cross-contamination and maintains the value of the materials being collected.
What To Keep Out Of Mixed Recycling
Any contaminants can reduce your recycling success. Food waste and liquids can spoil paper and cardboard, potentially leading to the entire contents of a bin being rejected. Whilst contaminated mixed recycling is possible to process, the contamination reduces the materials' recycling potential and can potentially take them outside of a circular economy model.
Soft plastics, such as carrier bags and cling film, can be a common source of confusion. Although some schemes do recycle these, they typically don’t belong in your mixed bin. Items such as bubble wrap, polystyrene, batteries, and electronics require specialised disposal routes.
Other items, such as electronics, batteries, and textiles, should also be disposed of through appropriate recycling or disposal channels to ensure eco-friendly and sustainable waste management. Keeping these out protects the integrity of your mixed recycling.
Reducing Waste Before Recycling
Before you even think about what goes in the recycling bin, the most effective way to manage waste is to reduce it at the source. In the workplace, strategies can look like replacing single-use plastic bags, containers, and bottles with reusable alternatives. Workplaces can also encourage staff to bring their own cloth bags, stainless steel lunchboxes, and refillable water bottles to reduce the use of disposable packaging.
Another area where small changes make a big difference is food waste. Planning office meals, utilising leftovers, and composting food scraps can all help reduce unnecessary waste in your bins. When purchasing supplies, opting for products with minimal packaging or buying in bulk can help reduce the amount of packaging materials entering your waste stream.
By focusing on waste reduction first, your business reduces its environmental impact by reducing its packaging waste, conserves resources and decreases the volume of waste that ends up in landfill. These simple steps help create a more sustainable workplace and set the stage for a successful recycling strategy
Creating A Successful Mixed Recycling Programme
A successful mixed recycling programme starts with a clear plan and active participation from everyone in the workplace. Why not begin by identifying the main types of recyclable materials your business generates, such as paper and cardboard, plastic bottles, and glass containers? Then, place clearly labelled recycling bins, such as a mixed recycling bin, in convenient locations so employees can easily separate their waste.
Education is key to a successful mixed recycling programme. Ensure that everyone is aware of what can and cannot be placed in the recycling bins, including less obvious items such as carrier bags, bread bags, and plastic pots. Use visual guides and regular reminders to keep recycling top of mind. Monitor your programme regularly, checking for contamination and seeking opportunities for improvement. Share feedback and celebrate successes to keep employees engaged.
By making recycling straightforward and accessible, businesses can maximise the amount of material recycled, reduce waste, and help to build a future that’s a few shades greener.
Smart Space Management
Volume matters. Flattening cardboard boxes and compressing plastic bottles creates more space in your recycling bins, reducing the frequency of collections. For businesses with limited space or high waste output, this small effort leads to noticeable efficiency gains. It also makes transporting recyclables easier, whether that’s internally or by your waste management provider.
Benefits Of Mixed Recycling For Businesses
Mixed recycling offers a balanced approach to environmental responsibility and cost control. By diverting materials from landfill, businesses can reduce disposal fees and increase their sustainability. Taking visible steps to recycle properly can also help to build a positive business reputation with customers, stakeholders, and employees.
If you’re not sure where to start, using the waste hierarchy can be a helpful guide.
Financial Savings
Reducing landfill reliance means fewer general waste collections and lower disposal charges. These savings add up. On top of that, recycling also cuts energy usage. Producing aluminium from recycled material uses up to 95% less energy than from raw materials, and recycled paper consumes 40% less energy. These efficiencies translate into environmental benefits and direct financial returns.
Enhancing Brand Reputation
Recycling has become an expectation among customers and clients of responsible businesses. Promoting your sustainability initiatives can set your brand apart. Internally, it also builds staff engagement, especially when recycling is supported by training and good communication.
Effective Management Of Mixed Recycling In The Workplace
With the Simpler Recycling legislation requiring waste separation for companies of 10 or more employees from 2025, now is the time to refine your recycling systems. Success starts with the basics: place clearly labelled bins in convenient spots and ensure staff understand what belongs in each one. Simple visual guides and quick refreshers go a long way in reducing mistakes.
Auditing your system is just as important. Regular reviews help identify issues, such as contamination or overfilled bins, and highlight areas where processes or training need improvement. This keeps your strategy effective and future-proof.
Measuring Success: Tracking Your Recycling Impact
Tracking your recycling is essential for understanding your impact and identifying opportunities for improvement. Start by measuring the amount of recyclable materials—like paper, cardboard, plastic, and glass—collected each month. Monitor how much waste is diverted from landfill and estimate the environmental benefits, such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions and conserved resources.
Regular audits and employee surveys provide valuable feedback, helping you identify areas where recycling can be improved. These insights can be used to set goals, share progress with your team, and highlight your achievements to stakeholders.
Working With A Waste Management Provider
Partnering with a waste management specialist like Waste Mission ensures your recycling strategy is tailored, compliant, and efficient. A waste management specialist will provide bins, collections, reporting, and ongoing advice, helping you meet both operational and legal requirements without the guesswork.
Legal Requirements And Regulations
Waste regulations aren’t just red tape — they’re designed to reduce environmental harm and promote accountability. The WEEE Regulations, Landfill Tax, and SUP Regulations each place obligations on businesses to handle waste responsibly. Mixed recycling supports compliance by making waste easier to segregate and report on.
Your legal duty of care covers how you store, manage, and dispose of waste. It also includes keeping records and using licensed waste carriers.
Producer Responsibility Obligations
If your business produces or handles packaging, you may be subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Packaging Waste Regulations 2007. These rules require you to contribute to the cost of collecting, recycling, or recovering packaging materials and play a key role in holding businesses more accountable for their environmental impact.
Staying Up-to-Date: Adapting to Evolving Recycling Standards
As new materials and approaches emerge on the market, recycling standards and regulations are often evolving, so businesses need to stay updated and adapt accordingly. Maintaining regular contact with your waste management provider can help you to stay informed about any updates to what can be placed in your recycling bin or mixed recycling bin.
By staying up-to-date and flexible, your business can continue to recycle efficiently, comply with regulations, and demonstrate leadership in environmental responsibility. Encourage everyone to use available resources, adapt to new materials and collection methods, and keep sustainability at the forefront of your workplace culture.
Summary
Mixed recycling provides businesses with a practical way to reduce waste, lower costs, and demonstrate leadership in sustainability. It’s about more than putting the right things in the bin — it’s a signal of how your business operates. With smart preparation, staff engagement, and the right waste partner, mixed recycling becomes not just easier but more impactful.
Ready to take the next step? Book a waste review and discover how Waste Mission can help your business.
