Under the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, all firms will be responsible for treating their own non-hazardous waste before disposal from 30 October this year.

The Environment Agency (EA) says businesses need to be able to show they have treated their waste, and landfill operators must be able to show that it has been treated.

But accountants and business advisers Grant Thornton says that firms simply aren't aware of these demands.

A Grant Thornton spokesman said:

"It feels like over the past 12 months every man and his dog has been making noises about becoming greener, but here we have a major piece of legislation coming into force that supports this, and it is virtually ignored.

"Crucially, it isn't just manufacturers that will now have to treat their own non-hazardous waste before it is collected; every business in the country, including high street retailers, City offices and country pubs must now produce their own reports on how they have treated their waste, in accordance with the EA's guidelines."