Commercial Waste Collection Costs

It’s estimated that businesses in the UK generate 27.5 million tonnes of commercial waste and 13.6 million tonnes of industrial waste every year. That’s a whopping total of 41.1 million tonnes – around 4,000 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

Commercial organisations create almost twice as much waste as households, which means there’s much greater demand for commercial waste disposal. If you run a business then you must arrange removal by licensed waste carriers and should research the costs. Managing commercial waste can be a significant cost for businesses of all sizes.

Such administrative tasks can feel like a bit of a distraction, particularly when there’s a company to run and money to make. Nevertheless, correct disposal of your commercial waste is incredibly important. Whether you’re getting rid of rubble from a construction site, food waste from a restaurant, or documents from an office, it all needs to go somewhere.

Before signing a contract with a commercial waste disposal company, you and the other decision-makers in your organisation should familiarise yourselves with:

• What you can expect your waste disposal service to cover
• What the must-haves from a disposal company are
• If there are any hidden costs you should be wary of

When choosing a waste collection company you must ensure they have a waste carrier’s licence.

If your waste management partner removes and disposes of your commercial waste without the required legal documentation, and you are aware of this, your company could fall foul of the law and face a fine of up to £5,000. Before agreeing to a contract with a waste disposal company, you should always request to see their WCL.

Here is a copy of the Business Waste LTD higher tier waste carrier’s licence – registration number CBDU49243

Taking the time to read online reviews of the services provided by prospective waste management companies will save you lots of time, energy, stress, and money. Each company will give you the “sell” and make the same promises. Search the internet for reviews of a waste company before going ahead with them and ask for references or testimonials from their existing customers if you can.

In all industries, there are those who look to exploit customers. The waste management trade is no exception. Here are some of the tricks you should be aware of that unscrupulous companies will try to pull. Although these practices are not strictly illegal, they are unethical.

Weight limits are in place for  health and safety reasons and they also encourage companies to develop more pragmatic approaches to how they deal with waste. Weight limits on commercial bins also encourages thinking around ways to reduce waste and to recycle and reuse materials..

Waste limits for each wheelie bin size for general waste are currently as follows:

• 240 litres of general waste – 10kg
• 360 litres of general waste – 15kg
• 660 litres of general waste – 35kg
• 1100 litres of general waste – 65kg

Waste limits for each wheelie bin size for dry mixed recycling are currently as follows:

• 240 litres of dry mixed recycling – 10kg
• 360 litres of dry mixed recycling – 15kg
• 660 litres of dry mixed recycling – 20kg
• 1100 litres of dry mixed recycling – 35kg

You will be charged up to 18p per additional kg over this allowance. If you are being charged more than this, you are paying too much.

Some bad companies will charge ongoing fees for renting out wheelie bins to your company. Business Waste provides customers with FREE bins, so a wheelie bin for your business should cost you £0. There are no delivery fees or bin hire charges – you only pay for collection.

Under UK law, your organisation has a legal obligation and duty of care to get and keep a waste transfer note that documents every load of waste that leaves your business premises. Your waste management company should provide this free of charge. Be very wary of any company that wants to charge you for the provision of a waste transfer note. These must be provided by law.

There are no set-in-stone prices for the cost of commercial waste collection, as there are so many factors to consider. The type and volume of waste, how often you want it collected, and where your business is located all affect commercial waste collection costs. Other factors that impact the price include the following:

• Landfill tax – to encourage recycling, the government imposes a tax on all waste disposed of at a landfill site.
• Gate fees – waste processing facilities, such as recycling plants and landfill sites, charge a gate fee. The average UK gate fee weighs in at approximately £6 per tonne.
• Recycling rebates – certain types of waste like glass, cardboard, metal and alloy have scrap value and can potentially be sold for a small profit. For this you need very large volumes measured in multiple tonnes to get a rebate.

There are different types of bin sizes. The size of the bin collected, along with the waste inside, affects the collection price. The most popular commercial bin sizes (in litres) are:

• 1100 litre wheelie bins
• 660 litre wheelie bins
• 360 litre wheelie bins
• 240 litre wheelie bins

These are a few tips to save money on your commercial waste collections:

• Waste audit – by determining the amount and types of waste your organisation generates, you can understand how to reduce the amount of waste you send to landfill. A waste audit is a process of figuring out ways you can reduce, re-use, and recycle.
• Recycle – as part of its commitment to the environment, the government is encouraging businesses to recycle as many materials as they can. Recycling costs less than sending waste to landfill and is not subject to the landfill tax, which could help save your business some serious money.
• Improve your buying practices – get in the habit of only buying items you need, and only buying items that can be recycled.
• Reuse – do you need to recycle the bottled water from the staff room when you could replace it with tap water from a filtered container? Try to foster a culture of sustainability within your organisation – think no more plastic bottles, ditching disposable coffee cups ,and reusing items where possible.

Call Business Waste on 0800 211 8390 for a free no-obligation quote to arrange commercial waste collections anywhere in the UK. You can also contact us online or simply fill out a form and our experts will take care of everything for you.