What waste does a restaurant produce?

The big one is food waste. Prep trimmings, plate scrapings, expired stock, the end-of-service bin liner that weighs more than the chef. Volumes climb hard from Friday lunch through Sunday service and stay heavy until Monday morning. A mid-sized restaurant can fill a 240L food caddy in two days flat over a busy weekend.

Glass is the next big stream. Wine bottles, beer bottles, spirits. If you’ve got an outdoor seating area open through summer, glass volumes can roughly double on warm weekends. Most restaurants run a separate glass collection because mixing glass with general waste causes injuries to crews and gets the load rejected at MRFs.

Cardboard piles up from deliveries. Veg crates, dry goods boxes, wine cases. Most kitchens flatten and stack it daily, then it goes out as a separate cardboard collection or a mixed dry recycling pull.

Then there’s used cooking oil, which sits in its own category and needs a licensed waste oil contractor with the right paperwork. Pouring it down the drain is a fast route to a fat-related call from the water company and a fine.

General waste covers what’s left. Cling film, contaminated packaging, single-use gloves, the bits that don’t fit anywhere else.

What’s the typical bin spec for a restaurant?

Most independent restaurants run a setup something like this. A 240L or 120L food waste bin, collected two or three times a week through busy periods. A 660L or 1100L general waste bin on weekly or twice-weekly collection. Glass either in a 240L wheelie or a glass-specific bin, often on a Monday pull to clear the weekend. Cardboard either in a 1100L wheelie or stacked for a flatbed pickup.

Busier sites, large covers, late-night kitchens, or anywhere with significant takeaway volume usually push up to multiple 1100L wheelies or onto a mini-skip for general waste. Chains tend to have national agreements, but independents have far more room to negotiate.

What changes the spec is covers per service, opening days, takeaway versus dine-in split, whether you have outdoor seating, and how much storage space you’ve got out the back.

What specialist streams do restaurants deal with?

Food waste is now the defining one. Under the Simpler Recycling rules that came into force in England on 31 March 2025, restaurants must separate food waste from general waste. The same has applied in Wales since 2024 under the Workplace Recycling Regulations. Food waste from a restaurant is also covered by the Animal By-Products Regulations because it contains, or has been in contact with, animal-derived ingredients. That dictates how it’s treated downstream, usually anaerobic digestion at an ABPR-approved facility.

Used cooking oil sits under its own waste stream and needs a registered waste carrier. Most oil contractors will collect at no charge or pay a small rebate per litre if volumes are decent, because UCO has resale value as biodiesel feedstock.

Glass is technically a recyclable stream rather than a hazardous one, but rules on contamination are tightening. Suppliers want it reasonably clean and free of corks, foil and food residue.

What compliance pitfalls catch restaurants out?

The biggest one is Duty of Care paperwork. You need a Waste Transfer Note covering every load that leaves the premises, and you need to keep it for two years. Most suppliers handle the paperwork digitally now, but if you’ve changed contractor recently and never asked for your WTNs, ask. An EA inspection or local authority visit can ask for two years of records on the spot.

Food waste under Simpler Recycling is the live one right now. If you’re still tipping food into general waste in England or Wales, you’re not compliant. Inspectors are taking an educational approach for the first year or so, but that won’t last.

Used cooking oil is the other common slip. Pouring it down a sink, putting it in the general bin, or handing it to an unlicensed collector all carry penalties. Always check the carrier is registered on the public register.