Supermarket Waste Management
There are more than 32,000 supermarkets in the UK. Supermarkets of every size create a wide range of waste types and have a responsibility to manage it properly. This means finding ways to reduce waste, separating materials for recycling and sustainable disposal, and keeping stores clean and safe.
Managing supermarket waste is challenging as there’s such a high volume and wide variety of materials produced during daily operations and by shoppers. There’s especially a growing focus on what happens to food waste produced by supermarkets. Taking steps to reduce and manage it responsibly alongside packaging, electrical, and other waste streams is vital.
Buy into ways to manage supermarket waste sustainably in your store with the following information. We can also help improve your management by providing a free bespoke quote for waste collection from your supermarket in the UK today – call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online.
Get a free quote
Get a fast FREE quote for supermarket waste collection
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of supermarket waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Supermarket waste services
All supermarkets in the UK have a duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure their waste is stored, removed, and disposed of safely and responsibly. This means arranging collection by authorised businesses and ensuring recycling and responsible disposal of every type of waste your supermarket produces.
Supermarkets also have a corporate social responsibility to make efforts to reduce their waste output and operate in a way that benefits the environment. This means minimising and eliminating waste sent to landfill and finding options to reuse, recover, and recycle rubbish where possible.
With all our waste services for supermarkets, all waste is disposed of away from landfill. Experts can conduct waste audits to advise your store on ways to reduce waste production and improve segregation and recycling. Our professional services include regular and reliable bin deliveries, waste collections, and responsible disposal.
We can provide bins and collections for any type of waste supermarkets produce, including:
- Batteries – battery bins and boxes so customers can drop off used domestic batteries for recycling
- Dry mixed recycling – mixed recycling bins for the shop floor to collect plastic bottles, food wrappers, and other recyclable rubbish from customers.
- Food waste – collections and responsible disposal of expired food products, as well as smaller bins for food waste on the shop floor.
- General waste – bins for non-recyclable rubbish produced by customers on the shop floor and bigger ones for supermarket waste.
- Glass recycling – separate bins to recycle broken glass and empty bottles and jars in the supermarket, as well as bottle banks in the car park for customers.
- Plastic recycling – customer bins to recycle plastic bags, film, and plastic packaging that’s not accepted in household recycling bins.
- WEEE – recycling services and collection points as part of electronic and electrical waste takeback schemes, such as for old and broken toasters, IT equipment, and vape disposal.
Waste collection for supermarkets
Under the waste duty of care code of practice, you must make sure waste from a supermarket is only removed by businesses that are authorised to take it. This means using licensed waste carriers. At Business Waste, we only arrange the collection of waste from supermarkets by licensed waste carriers to protect your business.
Regular and reliable waste collection for a supermarket ensures rubbish is removed frequently. It helps prevent bins from overflowing, keeps indoor and outdoor areas clear and hygienic, reduces the risk of accidents, bad smells, and attracting pests. This creates a pleasant and safe environment for supermarket staff and customers.
Daily, weekly, and fortnightly supermarket waste collection is available with our services. Combine suitable collection frequencies with each waste stream and bins for a cost-effective and efficient option. Fill each bin or container with the relevant waste materials and within any weight limits or max fill lines, then place it in an agreed and accessible pickup point.
Licensed waste carriers will collect the waste from your supermarket at an agreed day and time and transport it to a nearby waste management facility for sorting, processing, and disposal.
Supermarket waste bins
Save money with free bins for supermarkets. There are no costs for delivery or bin hire charges – you only pay for collection. We can provide a wide range of bins, bags, and containers in various sizes to separate and store different waste materials securely, including those from the shop floor and in the back.
Use big balers and compactors to reduce the volume of cardboard and packaging waste, wheelie bins for general waste, and sanitary waste bins in toilets for customers and staff. Select the most suitable types, sizes, and number of supermarket bins for your store and a collection schedule that’s efficient and cost-effective.
Ensure you have enough space to place any static waste containers on your supermarket premises and access for vehicles to remove them. If you’re unsure of the best bins to use, we can assist with a waste audit and assess your site and waste needs to advise on the most suitable options.
Discover more about some common supermarket waste bins:
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Compactors
Reduce the volume of cardboard, packaging, paper, and other dry waste your supermarket produces with a compactor.
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Wheelie bins
Choose from a range of wheelie bin sizes that are easy to move and store general waste, food waste, glass, plastic, and dry mixed recycling.
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Rear end loaders
Store larger volumes of waste in a static container and arrange less regular collections for a cost-effective choice.
Supermarket food waste management
Supermarket food waste is a big problem, so efforts to reduce and manage it effectively and responsibly are important. It’s estimated that there are 240,000 tonnes of supermarket food waste in the UK created every year, and 100,000 tonnes of this includes edible food. That’s terrible for the environment, hunger, and the finances of supermarkets.
Supermarket waste food should be kept away from landfill when sent for disposal. It breaks down naturally in landfill sites and releases methane, which is an incredibly potent gas that adds to pollution levels. This damages the environment, wildlife, and human health by contributing to air pollution.
Edible food waste from supermarkets should be donated to local food banks, charities, or other causes where possible. For any inedible food waste from supermarkets, the two main disposal methods are commercial composting or anaerobic digestion. These are sustainable alternatives to landfill and generate energy and fertiliser from waste supermarket food.
Compliance with a few laws and regulations that cover food waste management in supermarkets is essential, which include:
- Food Safety Act 1990 – this focuses on ensuring food is safe to eat, but also touches on the proper disposal of waste food. This includes having a food safety policy that covers waste and refuse as well as hygiene management.
- Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 – maintaining clean and hygienic premises is the main aim of this legislation, which includes having proper arrangements in place for food waste disposal.
- Simpler Recycling – businesses in England with at least 10 full-time employees must legally separate waste food from other streams and arrange separate collections, as of the start of April 2025.
Supermarket packaging and plastic waste
The other main waste material that supermarkets generate in abundance is packaging, most of which is plastic. It’s estimated that UK supermarkets produce 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually with packaging the primary source. Steps to reduce, eliminate, and recycle packaging and plastic waste in supermarkets are essential.
Use separate bins for plastic waste to collect such packaging in one place and ensure as much as possible is recycled. Compactors and balers are good options for supermarkets with available space to reduce the volume of other packaging, such as cardboard. Reusing wooden pallets and recycling them if they break also helps.
Many supermarkets offer cardboard boxes used to deliver goods to their store to customers who may need some if moving house. This helps reduce packaging waste and you can encourage customers to recycle or return them when they no longer need the boxes.
Supermarkets can also take steps to reduce packaging waste at the source. Work with suppliers that use minimal, recyclable, or biodegradable packaging and ideally not plastic. If your supermarket offers home deliveries, try to eliminate excess packaging too – or use easily recyclable materials in domestic bins.
How to reduce supermarket waste
Reducing supermarket waste benefits the environment by ensuring less rubbish goes to landfill sites. It also lowers the energy, fuel, and time required to collect, transport, and process recycling and recoverable supermarket waste. Plus, it saves your supermarket money as you’ll pay less for fewer waste collections and smaller bins for storage.
There are many steps supermarkets can take to reduce waste and these are a few ways to start:
- Rotate stock regularly – expired items on the shelf and in the back are a big source of supermarket food waste. Regular stock checks and rotations to bring those with the closest use-by date to the front are essential. This is especially important for food with a short best-before and use-by date, such as fresh produce and chilled products.
- Ensure optimum temperatures – many foodstuffs can spoil if stored in conditions that are too hot or cold, such as chilled items being left on trolleys on the shop floor. Have a strict time limit on how long chilled and frozen items can be outside of fridges/freezers. Check the temperatures in fridges and freezers on the shop floor and in the back regularly.
- Sell ‘wonky’ produce – lots of supermarkets are starting to sell ‘wonky’ fruits and vegetables (often at a reduced price). This is simply produce that doesn’t meet the high standards of supermarkets but is still perfectly edible. It reduces supermarket food waste and saves your shop money.
- Donate excess food – rather than stock checking and binning waste supermarket food, make changes to donate as much as possible to local food banks and charities. Even some inedible food for humans may be safe for animal shelters and farms. This reduces supermarket food waste and helps close the hunger gap.
- Reduce packaging – supermarket packaging waste is a big problem, so switch to suppliers that use minimal or recyclable packaging. For packaging your own food and home deliveries, take steps to eliminate or minimise the amount of packaging too. Use cardboard boxes instead of plastic bags, for example.
Save money on supermarket waste collections
Improve waste management in your supermarket and save money with Business Waste. We provide free bins for supermarkets with no delivery or hire costs – you only pay for collection. This includes everything from wheelie bins to store low volumes of rubbish to compactors for reducing the volume of cardboard packaging.
Arrange a waste audit of your supermarket and our experts can assess your operations and advise on cost-effective bins and collection services. They can identify ways to reduce waste at the source, which cuts back on your waste management costs. All waste is disposed of away from landfill too, so you pay zero or less landfill tax.
Save money whether you run a local independent supermarket or a national chain anywhere in the UK with our professional and reliable services. Get a free no-obligation quote for waste collection from your supermarket today – call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online.
Get a fast and free quote
Get a fast FREE quote for supermarket waste collection
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of supermarket waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Published 9th May 2025 by Graham Matthews.