How Do I Know If My Club Is Compliant?

Kate McCann
August 26, 2025

Running a club isn’t just about organising events, keeping your members happy, or serving drinks at the bar. It also means staying on the right side of the law when it comes to waste disposal, energy usage, and merchant compliance. With regulations tightening across all sectors, it’s vital that your club remains compliant to avoid fines, improve efficiency, and protect your reputation.

Is My Club Waste Compliant?

Duty of Care for Waste

Regardless of your club’s size, if you produce, store, or dispose of waste, you must comply with the Duty of Care.

What is it?

This regulation requires your club to manage its waste safely and legally. That means:

Storing waste securely
Using licensed waste carriers
Completing a Waste Transfer Note for each load of non-hazardous waste, or a Consignment Note for hazardous waste
Following the waste hierarchy: prevent, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose

Why is it important?

Improper waste handling can harm human health and the environment. Complying with Duty of Care not only keeps your club legal but also reduces your environmental impact and improves your public image.

Simpler Recycling Regulations

Simpler Recycling Regulations have changed how clubs must separate their waste streams.

What is it?

As of March 31, 2025, most businesses in England, including clubs, are now legally required to separate waste into specific streams:

Dry recyclables (paper, card, plastic, metal, glass)
Food waste (all food waste must be collected separately)
Residual waste (non-recyclable material)

It’s important to note that paper and card must be separated from other dry recyclables. Micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees have until March 2027 to comply with regulations.

Why is it important?

These changes are designed to reduce contamination, boost recycling rates, and support the UK’s goal of building a circular economy. To prepare, clubs should source compliant bins, train staff, and ensure their waste provider can manage separated collections.

Check Your Club Is Energy Compliant

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR)

If your club is classed as a large company – meaning it has 250 or more employees, or meets financial thresholds like £36 million+ turnover or £18 million+ on the balance sheet, then SECR likely applies to you.

What is it?

SECR requires affected organisations to publicly report their annual UK energy use – including electricity, gas, and transport fuel – as well as their carbon emissions. You must also disclose the energy efficiency measures you’ve taken.

Why is it important?

SECR aims to make businesses more transparent and accountable. By publicly disclosing energy use, it encourages clubs to find ways to cut waste and lower emissions, which can also reduce operational costs and improve your environmental image.

Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)

Another major regulation aimed at larger organisations, ESOS is all about auditing energy use.

What is it?

If your club employs 250 or more people or meets the financial thresholds of £50 million turnover and £43 million on the balance sheet, you’re legally required to conduct an energy audit every four years. These audits identify cost-effective ways to improve your club’s energy performance.

Why is it important?

These audits are not just bureaucratic exercises – they often uncover practical, low-cost ways to save energy and money. They also help your club stay on the right side of legislation while demonstrating your commitment to sustainability.

Climate Change Levy (CCL)

Even smaller clubs that use commercial energy are likely to come across the CCL, whether it’s on your electricity bill, your gas supply, or both.

What is it?

The CCL is applied directly to your energy bill and is charged per kilowatt hour (kWh). This means the more energy your club uses, the more you’ll pay in levy charges. However, there are a few exceptions and ways to reduce this charge depending on your club’s circumstances.

Why is it important?

CCL adds a financial incentive for businesses to improve energy efficiency. Reducing your energy consumption doesn’t just lower your bills – it reduces the tax burden too.

Metering Best Practices and Compliance

Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS)

RTS is a legacy system that controls time-of-use tariffs and heating loads for certain electricity customers.

What is it?

The Radio Teleswitch Service was introduced to enable off-peak tariffs, such as Economy 7 and Economy 10, by remotely switching meters via long-wave radio signals. Many clubs still rely on RTS for heating and hot water systems, but the service is due to be phased out. This means clubs using RTS-controlled meters will need to transition to smart metering solutions to maintain compliance and ensure accurate billing.

Why is it important?

As RTS is being withdrawn, staying on outdated meters risks inaccurate charging, service interruptions, and non-compliance with new settlement rules. Transitioning early ensures your club avoids disruption and maintains access to flexible tariffs.

Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS)

A regulatory change that modernises how all electricity usage is measured and settled.

What is it?

MHHS requires electricity consumption for all customers, including clubs, to be settled in half-hourly intervals using smart meter data. This creates a far more accurate picture of when electricity is used, replacing estimates with real consumption data.

Why is it important?

By settling energy use every half hour, MHHS ensures fairer, more transparent billing and enables clubs to benefit from demand-side response opportunities. It also underpins the transition away from RTS, ensuring your club remains compliant, avoids penalties, and is positioned to take advantage of smarter, more flexible tariffs.

Keeping Card Payments Compliant

PCI Compliance

If your club accepts card payments for memberships, events, or drinks behind the bar, then PCI compliance is a must. It’s a set of mandatory security standards designed to protect cardholder data whenever debit or credit card payments are processed, stored, or transmitted.

What is it?

PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance is governed by the PCI Security Standards Council and outlines 12 key requirements that clubs must meet – usually by completing self-assessment questionnaires and documenting their processes. These standards are designed to reduce the risk of data breaches and help you demonstrate that your club takes data protection seriously.

Why is it important?

Beyond meeting legal requirements, PCI compliance builds trust with your members. Clubs often store sensitive details like names, addresses, and payment information — and keeping that data secure is crucial.

So, Are You Compliant?

Compliance protects your club – legally, financially, and reputationally. Whether it’s how you use energy, how you dispose of waste, or how you manage card payments, taking the right steps now will keep your club protected.

If you’re unsure where you stand, Club Assure is here to help. We support clubs in understanding their obligations, implementing best practices, and connecting with reliable service providers – all with no fuss and no confusion. Get in touch today for compliance support.