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 – a whopping total of 41.1 million tonnes.

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 commercial waste collections 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 be made. 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 solution 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 licence.

Lower tier waste producers can usually apply for a free licence. Upper tier licences cost £154 in England and Wales. Costs may vary in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The UK government is responsible for the issuing of all waste carrier licences.

If your waste management partner processes 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 carriers licence – registration number CBDU49243

All businesses have a duty of care to keep waste to a minimum by doing everything to prevent the creation of waste. Businesses must also make a reasonable effort to reuse, recycle, and recover waste.

When searching for a waste disposal solution, chances are you’ll come across many lead generation websites. These websites will simply sell your data – usually to unscrupulous businesses who are unable to generate their own custom, due to poor reviews.

Lead generation sites often masquerade as genuine businesses or price comparison companies. Be wary though – these firms only want your data so they can sell it to the highest bidder with no regard to the quality of service you receive. Such companies certainly do not compare thousands of prices on your behalf.

There are only a handful of local waste companies in each area and a small number of national waste disposal operators – don’t get tricked into giving your data away.

Taking the time to read online reviews of the services provided by prospective waste management companies will save you lots of wasted 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.

Read Business Waste reviews on Trustpilot

Beware of hidden costs

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.

Bin weight limits

Weight limits are in place to encourage companies to develop more pragmatic approaches to how they deal with waste. By placing limits on the amount of waste a company can send to landfill, it encourages recycling, reusing of materials, and the prevention of excess waste generation.

What are the weight limits for each wheelie bin size?

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.

Learn how much a wheelie bin costs

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.

Read more on waste transfer notes and see an example.

Some companies include a statutory fee for bin insurance. This is rarely an actual insurance policy and is simply a means to increase your overall fees. If your waste management company includes bin insurance on your invoice, don’t be afraid to query them over it.

Ask for the actual insurance policy documents, as odds are it’s a completely made up and fake charge. Better still, switch to a company like Business Waste who have no hidden charges, fees, or extras.

Any reputable company will have a price guarantee in place. When searching for quotes, it’s often the case that some companies take more time than others to respond. A situation may arise where you’ve agreed on a price with one waste management contractor, only to be offered a better deal by another a day later.

Your commercial waste disposal company should be willing to foster a good working relationship with your organisation. This means price-matching their competitors. Business Waste has a 14 day written price match guarantee.

There are two common types of commercial waste collection:

• One-off collections– such as the removal of waste after moving offices or renovating a building.
• Contractual ongoing collections– regular removals of commercial waste generated by your business. Collections can take place on a daily, weekly, or fortnightly basis.

The main waste types are:

• Food waste
• Pharmaceutical waste
• Clinical waste management
• Confidential waste disposal
• Hazardous waste disposal
• Paper recycling
• Glass recycling
• Plastic recycling
• Cardboard recycling
• Sanitary waste
• Liquid waste
• Packaging waste recycling
• WEE recycling
• Hospital waste management
• Shredding
• Waste oil collection

TOP TIP – look for a supplier who can look after all your waste, such as Business Waste. This way you don’t have to deal with endless invoices, collection schedules, and contracts.

Certain waste types have scrap and recycling value, which can sometimes generate a small profit. Glass, cardboard, metals, alloys, and recyclable computer components are the most common form of rebate-generating waste. Your waste volumes must be significant (have multiple tonnes) for a rebate.

The standard landfill tax rate is £103.70 per tonne for 2024-25. The government may increase the price for each coming year at the start of April.

Learn more about landfill tax in the UK