Martlands provides licensed food waste and ABP collection to businesses across Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cumbria from a DEFRA approved processing and sampling facility in Burscough. Animal by-products are governed by their own legal framework rather than ordinary commercial waste rules, and the obligations fall on the business producing the material, not only on the carrier removing it. Every collection we make is accompanied by the documentation you need to prove that obligation has been met.
What Counts as an Animal By-Product
An animal by-product is any material of animal origin that is not intended for human consumption. That definition is far broader than most businesses expect. It captures trimmings and bone from a butchery counter, expired meat and dairy from a chilled aisle, production losses from a food manufacturing line, and used cooking materials contaminated with animal matter. Once material meets that definition it cannot be placed in general waste, and disposal through an unlicensed route exposes the producer to enforcement action.
The framework is set by retained Regulation (EC) 1069/2009 and its implementing regulation 142/2011, enforced in England through the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013. Enforcement sits with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and with local authorities depending on the material and premises involved. Our guide to food waste and ABP sets out how the two overlap in practice.
The Three ABP Categories and Which One Applies to You
Correct categorisation is the decision everything else depends on, because it determines how food waste and ABP collection must be carried out from your premises. Get it wrong and the storage, the transport, the permitted outlet and the paperwork are all wrong with it. Martlands holds Animal By-Products Licence APB/CCN21/373/8002 and is licensed to collect and process all three categories, so a mixed site does not need three separate contractors.
Category 1 Material
Category 1 is the highest risk tier. It covers specified risk material, animals suspected of a TSE, pets, zoo and circus animals, experimental animals, and catering waste from international transport. Because specified risk material is defined by species and age, fallen ruminants above the relevant age thresholds fall into Category 1 on those grounds. Category 1 material must be destroyed and cannot enter any recovery route. Our Category 1 ABP collection service covers the whole of the North West.
Category 2 Material
Category 2 covers manure and digestive tract content, animals that died other than by slaughter for human consumption where no specified risk material is present, animals killed for disease control purposes, and products containing residues of veterinary medicines above permitted limits. This is the category most often misapplied, because businesses assume all fallen animals sit here. They do not. The species and the presence of specified risk material determine the tier. Category 2 ABP collection is handled under the same licence.
Category 3 Material
Category 3 is the lowest risk tier and the one most commercial food businesses deal with daily. It includes parts of slaughtered animals passed fit for human consumption but not intended for it, former foodstuffs of animal origin withdrawn for commercial reasons, and catering waste from restaurants and canteens. Category 3 material has the widest range of permitted outlets, which is why accurate segregation at source has a direct commercial value. See Category 3 ABP collection for the detail, or our guide to ABP categories for a fuller comparison.
Documentation and Audit Readiness
Compliance is demonstrated on paper, and an inspection tests the records rather than the intention. Every food waste and ABP collection we carry out is accompanied by a Commercial Document for animal by-product movements or a Waste Transfer Note where the material is handled as waste under the duty of care. The Commercial Document identifies the category, the quantity, the producer, the carrier and the receiving plant, and the producer must retain their copy for two years.
Those records are what an auditor asks for. They support ISO 14001 certification, local authority and environmental health inspections, Red Tractor assessment on farm sites, and internal sustainability reporting. We operate under Waste Carrier Licence CB/QE5406MT and Site Licence EAWML/100236, and our collections are booked and tracked through the KoLeCt system, so a collection history can be produced quickly when an inspector asks for one at short notice.
Storing Animal By-Products Before Collection
Most of the problems we are called to resolve begin in storage rather than in disposal, and getting it right is what makes food waste and ABP collection straightforward when the vehicle arrives. Containers must be leak-proof, covered, and clearly identified by category so that material cannot be cross-contaminated or mistaken between tiers. Martlands supplies leak-proof containers to food waste and butchers waste customers as part of the service.
Categories must be kept separate throughout storage. Mixing Category 3 with Category 2 material downgrades the entire load to the higher risk tier, closing off the recovery routes that Category 3 would otherwise have and increasing the disposal cost accordingly. Our storage of animal by-products guidance covers siting, containment and access, and the guide to transporting animal by-products explains what changes once material leaves your premises.
Who We Provide Food Waste and ABP Collection For
Butchers and Meat Processing
Butchery generates a steady stream of Category 3 material alongside occasional Category 1 where specified risk material is handled. Shops and cutting plants working to tight environmental health timescales need a collection that arrives before the material becomes a problem on site rather than one that fits a national routing schedule. Our butchers waste collection service is built around that.
Restaurants, Hotels and Catering
Catering waste containing material of animal origin is Category 3 and must not be fed to farmed animals under the swill feeding ban. It also cannot go to landfill through a general waste contract. Regular scheduled collection keeps kitchens compliant and pest-free, and our guide to disposing of catering waste sets out the practical steps for a commercial kitchen.
Retail, Supermarkets and Food Manufacturing
Former foodstuffs are the largest volume stream in retail and manufacturing. Packaged product presents an additional step, because packaging must be separated before the animal-derived content can go to a permitted outlet. High-volume producers usually need scheduled collections aligned to production or delivery cycles rather than an ad-hoc arrangement, and we build routes around that. Straightforward non-animal food waste is handled through our food waste collection service.
Farms and Agricultural Premises
Farm sites frequently produce animal by-products alongside fallen stock, and the two are collected under different arrangements. Martlands is a member of the National Fallen Stock Company and a DEFRA approved sampling centre for BSE testing of fallen cattle over 48 months. Where a holding needs both, farm and fallen stock collection runs alongside this service on the same account.
Food Waste and ABP Collection Across the North West
Operating from Burscough places our fleet close to the M6, M58 and M61 corridors, which is what makes a genuinely rapid response possible across the region rather than a next-available-vehicle promise. We collect throughout Lancashire ABP collection areas, across Cheshire ABP collection areas, and into Greater Manchester ABP collection areas.
Town-level coverage includes Liverpool food waste collection, Preston food waste collection and Ormskirk food waste collection, with the same licensed service and documentation applying wherever we collect.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you start a new collection?
For most commercial premises in the North West we can set up food waste and ABP collection within a few working days, including assessing requirements and putting containers on site. Where a business is facing an imminent inspection or has material accumulating on site, call 01704 776977 and we will prioritise accordingly.
What happens if I put animal by-products in general waste?
The material is being handled outside its permitted route, and the legal responsibility rests with the producer. It is one of the more common causes of enforcement action against food businesses, and it is also a route into fly-tipped material entering the environment. Our ABP fly tipping guidance covers the consequences in more detail.
Do I need to separate packaging from former foodstuffs?
Packaged product can be collected, but the packaging must be separated before the animal-derived content reaches a permitted outlet. Tell us what proportion of your stream is packaged when you arrange collection, because it affects the container specification and the routing.
Who is NFSCO and does it apply to my business?
The National Fallen Stock Company operates a scheme for the collection of fallen farm animals, and Martlands is a member. It is relevant to farms and holdings rather than to catering or retail premises. Our page on who is NFSCO explains how membership works.
How long must I keep the paperwork?
Commercial Documents for animal by-product movements must be retained for two years. Waste Transfer Notes are retained for two years under the duty of care. Keeping them filed by collection date rather than loose is what makes an inspection straightforward.
Arrange Food Waste and ABP Collection
If you produce material of animal origin and are not certain which category it falls into, that is the right point to ask rather than the point after an inspection. Martlands can assess the material, specify the containers and set a collection frequency that suits how your site actually works. Call 01704 776977 to speak to the team, or use our contact us page to request a quote for food waste and ABP collection.