• Food waste must be separated by food businesses operating in non-rural areas. A food business is defined as “an undertaking, whether for profit or not, and whether public or private, carrying out any activity related to the processing, distribution, preparation or sale of food”. This excludes businesses which only prepare and sell drinks.
• Food waste disposers such as macerators cannot be used to discharge food waste to a drain or sewer in a non-rural area where a separate food waste collection service is available.
• There is no legal requirement for macerators to be removed however your businesses may choose to remove macerators to prevent staff using them and avoid the risk of a fine.
• Businesses are also liable to prosecution under Section 46 of the Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968 which makes it an offence to discharge any substance into the public sewer likely to obstruct its free flow. Disposing of food waste to the drain could also result in flooding within your (and surrounding) business premises.
– Zero Waste Scotland
