MRF Procurement Toolkit

Under the Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms and the Environment Act 2021, local authorities in England must collect a consistent set of recyclable materials separately to reduce contamination and help achieve the national ambition of recycling 65% of waste by 2035.

From 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect the same core set of recyclables from households, creating consistency to kerbside recycling services across England. As a result, many local authorities may need to amend existing Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) service contracts or procure new MRF services, if they co-collect any dry recyclable materials.

The MRF Procurement Toolkit has been developed in partnership with Defra to support local authority officers to work through such changes. It includes downloadable guidance documents designed to:

• Support Simpler Recycling compliance
• Aid local authority decision making
• Share best practice
• Standardise procurement processes and contracts

WHAT’S IN THE MRF PROCUREMENT TOOLKIT?

Information guides:

• Pre-procurement Checklist – a six-step guide for local authorities to follow ahead of commencing a procurement journey.
• Service Delivery Options Guide – a guide outlining the most common MRF service delivery models used in the UK, supported by case studies and a PESTLE Analysis tool.
• Technical Specification and Contract Clause Guide – a technical guide providing context and guidance alongside suggested contract clause wording on key topics including end destination reporting, risk and gain share, material acceptance criteria, basket of commodities calculations and contract length.

Tool (coming soon):

• Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR)-MRF Model – to aid local authority understanding of the impact of kerbside recycling scheme changes and key policy reforms including Simpler Recycling and DRS on DMR tonnage, composition, material revenues and carbon equivalent emissions.