GuidesEngland
Recycling records for salons
Last reviewed 25 October 2026
A salon in England is often a small site inside a landlord’s building. Packaging, paper and card, bottles, and general waste still need to be separated. Food waste applies when the site produces it, for example from a staff kitchen. Chemical or clinical leftovers are a different duty and are not covered by this note.
A small site still separates its waste
A salon is often one room in someone else’s building. It still produces cardboard, plastic bottles, and general waste. Paper and card stay separate from plastic and metal unless a written assessment is on file. Food waste applies when the site produces it, for example from a staff kitchen.
Chemical leftovers and sharps are a different duty. This guide does not cover them. Keep them out of the recycling and out of the ordinary general-waste note in SortProof.
One shared bin
If the landlord provides one bin, you still need the streams separated. Ask which collections they actually provide and keep that confirmation. Record any stream they do not collect.
If the site is in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, read the guide for that nation. The streams and dates there are different. The free check on SortProof uses the England rules.
In short
- Record the salon as a site and say if the landlord arranges the bins.
- Separate paper and card, including cardboard boxes, from plastic and metal.
- Keep general waste, including items your collector will not take, out of the recycling.
- If you produce food waste, keep it in its own collection.
- Keep the landlord’s written confirmation or your own collection contract.
Questions
Does this cover chemical waste or sharps?
No. This note is about ordinary workplace recycling. Other waste duties stay with the guidance that applies to them.
The landlord only provides one bin. What should I keep?
You still need to separate your waste. Ask for written confirmation of the collections they provide, and record any stream they do not collect.
Related guides
SortProof stores the record you enter. It is guidance, not a certificate, and it is not issued by Defra or the Environment Agency.