Veolia: Making Policy & Regulations Simple
With regulations continually evolving, it may feel difficult to keep up to date with the latest policies. Alongside the risk of non-compliant charges and potential damage to your business’ reputation, you need the right team to support you.
Veolia’s policy experts are in direct contact with the HM Government Officials, influencing legislative change by creating solutions which will help you balance sustainability, compliance and affordability. By providing tailored guidance, Veolia’s customers are positioned for growth, ahead of regulatory change.
Although sport stadiums are not being specifically targeted in the development of circular economy policies, they are uniquely impacted by many circular policy developments such as Simpler Recycling, ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme) and DRS (Deposit Return Scheme). Veolia can act as a service provider for policy advice and provide a range of tailored solutions in waste, water and energy to ensure you remain compliant, grow sustainability, and protect your reputation.
Simpler Recycling one year on – are you compliant?
Simpler Recycling was brought in to improve recycling in England, by ending the confusion over what can and can’t be recycled. This not only helps reduce the level of waste stream contamination but it also saves valuable resources from going to landfill.
Currently, all businesses with 10 or more full time employees must separate plastic, paper and card, glass, metals (cans, tins and foil) and food waste from their general waste. Following this, all businesses with less than 10 full-time employees in England will need to comply with Simpler Recycling from the 31st March 2027.
Any business that is not complying with the current Simpler Recycling regulations will be charged an hourly rate of £118 by the Environment Agency (EA). Following an investigation by the EA, businesses will be charged for the time taken to identify the breach, provide advice, or serve a compliance notice.
Veolia has the infrastructure and knowledge to help you avoid the hourly charges by making you compliant with Simpler Recycling. This includes:
– performing a free waste audit to understand the waste your business is producing,
– creating a waste plan that can bolster your business’s sustainability and resilience,
– and providing training and advice to ensure you remain compliant.
UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS)
The ETS is a carbon tax brought in to encourage decarbonisation by placing a cost on the volume of emissions from the companies which the scheme covers.
At the start of 2026, the waste industry began the voluntary Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) period for the UK ETS, ahead of the waste sector being fully integrated in the scheme from 2028.
– Carbon prices are subject to fluctuations, but to date trading prices have remained at c.£50 in 2026, with forecasts expecting the price to substantially increase. This financial risk requires waste producers to act now to reduce their liability by working to remove non-biogenic material from their waste stream.
Veolia is continuing to support the UK ETS Authority in the final design of the scheme once waste is included, and can help customers understand how they will be impacted.
Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – how to prepare for 2027
An estimated 6.5 billion single-use bottles and cans go to waste, rather than being recycled, every year.
DRS, which will commence in 2027, aims to increase the UK’s recycling rate by charging a small refundable deposit on eligible drink bottles and cans.
For sports stadiums this is a huge policy development, with a large amount of drinks being consumed during games, events and concerts. Understanding and preparing for this legislation is key, that’s where Veolia’s policy team comes in, providing advice on how to get ahead of the policy and develop a recycling infrastructure that can work with DRS.
We are actively engaging with Exchange for Change, on how they can achieve their 90% capture rate target within three years. To do so, Exchange for Change must fully consider the hospitality, events, and stadiums sector. Now is your opportunity to collaborate with Veolia to develop a dedicated solution for stadiums.
All of these regulations impact stadiums uniquely, making action now essential to reduce costs and ensure sustainable growth.
Veolia’s policy team has extensive knowledge of environmental legislation that has been brought in by the UK government, allowing them to provide tailored advice that protects your business.
Contact Veolia for more information on how to make regulations simple.
