takeaway waste disposal
No. 1 for Takeaway Waste

Takeaway Waste Management

The takeaway and fast food industry generates lots of rubbish on a daily basis – mainly food and packaging waste. Much of this is unavoidable and a natural by-product of the activities required to prepare food for customers. Whatever the cuisine and business size, takeaway waste management is important to protect the environment and lower your costs.

While you can’t stop producing takeaway waste completely, arranging proper storage, collection, and disposal should improve your organisation’s impact on the environment. With good takeaway waste management, it reduces any associated costs too.

At Business Waste we have the expertise and nationwide network to help takeaways anywhere in the UK, arrange waste collections and disposal to ensure strong waste management. Call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online for a free quote for takeaway waste collection.

16,831
PUBS _ CLUBS Collections in the last 7 days
free bins icon.

Get a free quote

Get a fast FREE quote for your takeaway waste collection

  • Free quote within 1 hr
  • Any type of takeaway waste
  • FREE bins and delivery
  • We cover all of the UK

FREE Bins
FREE Duty of care
Get 1 Month’s FREE collections
Excellent customer care

Takeaway waste 
disposal

When running a takeaway business, you need to operate with health and hygiene in mind – especially as you’re preparing food for customers to eat. You must ensure that you properly dispose of all waste. Thankfully, the disposal process is relatively straightforward. For example, you should:

  • Minimise the amount of waste kept inside the premises. For example, waste bins should be regularly emptied into larger containers outside the takeaway itself.
  • Ensure that waste is stored securely. Bags must be tied to prevent the contents spilling or leaking, and all bins should be covered with a lid.
  • Arrange frequent waste collections from a licensed company. This prevents a build-up of waste on your property.

We work on a zero landfill policy, so try to ensure as much takeaway waste as possible is recycled. Landfill should be considered a last resort, as they’re dangerously overcrowded, meaning we will eventually run out of space to store our waste. They also contribute significantly to global warming as decomposing matter releases dangerous gasses, such as methane into the air.

takeaway pizza in box.

Takeaway waste bins

Whatever you need to dispose of, from general waste to recycling, we can supply the correct takeaway waste bins for your business. Most kitchens will have small bins at the point of preparation, with a general waste bin for customers and a sanitary waste bin in the staff toilet.

We can provide takeaway waste bins to collect and store different waste streams separately to ensure proper disposal and recycling. Often these are stored outside or in a covered area away from your kitchen. Lockable bins with lids are best to avoid contamination, damage, or pests.

Explore some common bins used by takeaways.

View all bins
  • 120L wheelie bin

    This small two-wheel bin can hold just food waste or glass waste and is ideal for regular collections.

    small wheelie bin icon
  • 240L wheelie bin

    The standard wheelie bin size can also be used as a food waste or glass recycling bin.

    small wheelie bin icon
  • 1100L wheelie bin

    A four-wheel bin that’s best for higher volumes of general waste or dry mixed recycling, such as packaging.

    small wheelie bin icon

Recycling for takeaways

Once collected, most of your waste goes to a specialist recycling facility. The process of recycling varies depending on the waste type. Often, it’s sorted, cleaned, and turned into new materials and products. Here’s how some common types of takeaway waste are recycled:

  • Food waste – composting or anaerobic digestion. Composting is more straightforward and easy to do onsite. Simply allow food waste to decompose naturally, then use the decomposed material as fertiliser. Composting is an aerobic process, meaning the material needs plenty of air to work properly. Anaerobic digestion is more complicated. This usually occurs after the waste has been collected. The organic matter is put in an anaerobic digester (an oxygen-free tank). When the oxygen is removed, the food waste breaks down, producing biofertiliser and biogas.
How to reduce food waste
  • Packaging waste – most packaging is widely recycled, though it depends on the material it’s made from. The easiest packaging materials to recycle are paper, plastic, and cardboard. You can recycle these together in a dry mixed recycling bin.
  • Waste oil – all sorts of cooking oil, such as olive oil, coconut oil and sunflower oil can easily be recycled. Ensure it’s stored separately from the rest of your takeaway waste, in a sealed container to prevent oil leaking and damaging the environment. At the recycling facility any waste oil is dewatered, filtered and distilled so it can be used again.
  • Paper waste – paper menus, receipts or important confidential documents on your premises can all be recycled. Waste paper from your takeaway is sorted, cleaned, mixed with water to create slurry, spread out and dried to form new sheets of paper.
  • WEEE waste – your takeaway business probably won’t have to dispose of WEEE waste often. However, recycling fridges, freezers, microwaves and ovens is better than sending to landfill. They’re normally deconstructed and the materials that make up each component part recycled – such as any metals, plastics, and glass.

Takeaway waste 
collection

At Business Waste we can provide you with a tailored takeaway waste management and waste collection service. Whether you need to dispose of food waste, packaging, or invoices containing sensitive information, we can help. We can provide collections during hours that suit your business and provide competitive pricing for the number and type of bins you need.

Get free bins delivered and simply pay for collection. Ensure there’s an accessible point for our licensed waste carriers to drop them off and pickup. Once your business has our bins on site, fill with the relevant waste and within any weight limits Our collections aim to limit disruption to your daily operations.

Arrange takeaway waste collection on a daily, weekly, or fortnightly basis, depending on the size of your operations and amount of rubbish you produce. Collections can be flexible as we appreciate you may experience changes in demand over weekends and holidays.

Get a free quote today for takeaway waste collection and start saving money and helping the environment. Contact us online or call 0800 211 8390 and one of our friendly and expert team will answer any of your questions and advise on the right bins for your business.

Contact us today for a quote

Read our reviews

Very competitive prices, easy process for switching over. Would definitely recommend.
Padano Pizza

How does takeaway 
waste collection work?

  1. Select your free bins

    It’s quick and easy to organise commercial waste collection for your business.

    Simply start by telling us the:

    • Type of waste you need removing
    • Size of bins you require
    • Number of bins you want

    We’ll provide you with a free quote.

  2. Arrange delivery

    When you’re happy with the type, number, and size of free bins, tell us when you need your bins delivering.

    Let us know about any access issues where you want the bins delivering – such as locked gates, access codes and times. We’ll get you up and running in no time.

  3. Fill up your bin

    After the free bins arrive at your chosen location, fill them up with the agreed waste type.

    Make sure you remain within any weight limits for the specific waste type and bin size.

  4. Get your business waste collected

    We’ll arrange waste collection at a time and frequency to suit you and the amount of waste you have.

As featured in…

  • FT logo
  • telegraph paper logo
  • daily mail logo
  • guardian logo

What is 
takeaway waste?

Takeaway waste is simply the waste produced in the fast food service industry. From fish and chips on the coast, to local village takeaways and city centre fast food outlets that offer deliveries, they all create a range of takeaway waste. The main types of takeaway waste and common examples can include:

View all waste types
  • Food waste

    Leftover food from preparation, expired ingredients, and products

    food waste
  • Packaging waste

    Containers and jars for ingredients and products

    Packaging waste collection
  • Waste oil

    Used and expired cooking, vegetable, and other edible oils

    OIL
  • Paper waste

    Receipts, invoices, and business documents

    PAPER
  • WEEE waste

    Old or broken electronic items, fridges, and freezers

    WEEE

Takeaway waste
FAQs

  • TAKEAWAY What laws govern takeaway waste?

    There are numerous laws takeaway owners must abide by when it comes to waste. They were implemented to protect the environment, and ensure takeaway premises meets strict health and safety standards. The main two laws governing takeaway waste are:

    The Waste Regulations 2012 – Food waste is a major problem globally, and business owners within the hospitality industry must strive to minimise food waste wherever possible. The Waste Regulations Act means companies that produce more than 50kg of food waste each week must, by law, ensure that waste is recycled.

    The Environmental Protection Act 1990 – As a business owner, you must also comply with the environmental protection act. The act covers many topics – from hazardous waste to pollution – and is designed to protect the environment from future generations. When running a takeaway, you must:

    • Ensure your waste is stored securely.
    • Recycle wherever possible.
    • Ensure that recyclable material is stored separately from general waste.
    • Ensure your waste is collected by a licensed carrier and put together a Waste Transfer Note whenever waste is collected.
  • TAKEAWAY How often should you have your takeaway waste collected?

    As a business owner, you’re in charge of how frequently your takeaway waste is collected. However, it’s within your best interests to ensure waste is collected regularly, to avoid a build-up of rubbish around your property. When dealing with food waste, frequent collections are also more hygienic.

    At Business Waste, we’ll work closely with you to develop a waste collection plan that meets your needs and demands. Commercial waste collection is available daily, weekly, or fortnightly, and we’re flexible to adapt schedules around different seasons.

  • TAKEAWAY How much does it cost to have takeaway waste collected?

    The cost of takeaway waste collections varies depending on a variety of factors. These include:

    • The type of takeaway waste
    • Number and size of bins collected
    • How often you need takeaway bins collecting
    • The location of your takeaway

    The easiest way to find out how much takeaway waste collection could cost your business is to contact us online or call 0800 211 8390. One of our expert team can assess your operations and provide a unique and tailored quote for free.

  • TAKEAWAY Why is reducing takeaway waste important?

    Studies show that in 2019, 7.5 billion takeaway dishes were ordered in the UK alone and this figure is set to keep rising. While that’s excellent news for the takeaway industry and will allow many small businesses to flourish, it also means an increasing amounts of waste. If this waste is not correctly disposed of, the effects on the environment could be catastrophic.

    Therefore, as consumers become increasingly conscious about how much we consume and how we treat the world around us, we must all assume personal responsibility. Reducing takeaway waste ensures less rubbish ends up in landfill, where it can release methane and contribute to pollution levels.

    Plus, reducing takeaway waste levels helps save businesses money with less spent on landfill tax, waste collections, and transportation.

free bins icon.

Get a fast, free quote for takeaway waste collection

Get a fast FREE quote for takeaway waste removal

  • Free quote within 1 hr
  • Any type of takeaway waste
  • FREE bins and delivery
  • We cover all of the UK