23 September 2024
How to Reduce Recycling Contamination
Contaminated recycling causes problems and means waste goes to landfill or is incinerated. Find out how to reduce recycling contamination in your business.
No. 1 for General Waste
General Waste Collection
Regular general waste collection is essential to keep your working areas clean and free from health and safety hazards. Get everything you need for commercial general waste removal with Business Waste. Nationwide UK coverage and free bins for our customers offers an ideal solution – whatever your business size, type, and location.
From non-recyclable plastics and packaging to kitchen scraps, our general waste collection services cover all sorts of daily rubbish. This includes things you can’t recycle and that don’t need disposing of in a specialist environment. Discover waste collections for any type of general waste and advice from our expert team across all aspects of waste management.
Get started with a free quote for general waste collection from anywhere in the UK today. Call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online and one of our friendly expert team will provide a bespoke price for you.
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Collections in the last 7 days
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Get a fast FREE quote for general waste collection
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of general waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
General waste disposal
General waste often makes up most of a company’s rubbish output – such as regularly emptying general waste bins around your office, hotel, or other business premises. Arrange reliable general waste disposal with free bins, so you only pay for collection, and at intervals to meet your business needs.
If you find you need to dispose of your general waste more frequently or your bins don’t fill up between visits, you can easily and flexibly reschedule your waste collections. Increase or decrease how often we collect your general waste bins with one quick phone call.
When you’ve got a lot of general waste, consider recycling balers and compactors to fit more waste into a smaller space. Compactors can squash rubbish into a much smaller footprint, for general waste disposal that’s more efficient and reduces the frequency of our visits.
However much general waste your business produces, we provide waste removal solutions and tailored quotes for many business sizes and types. From just a small 120 litre wheelie bin to a few large 1100 litre options, enjoy free general waste bins that meet your needs. We also offer are 40 litre bags to keep your general waste contained.
General waste
bins
Explore a wide range of sizes of general waste bins – whether you need general waste removal for a small office, large retail site or an other business premises. Weighth limits vary depending on the general waste bin size you choose, so check before.
You can arrange for one or more of the same or different sized general waste bins for collection based on your needs. We typically offer daily, weekly, or fortnightly general waste collections, available throughout the UK. Find the right general waste bin size for your needs.
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240L general waste bin
The standard two-wheel bin like you have at home
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660L general waste bin
Medium general waste bin with four wheels
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1100L general waste bin
A large, 1100L general waste bin for 15-18 bags
Who needs
general waste disposal?
Pretty much every business needs to arrange general waste removal. From emptying bins in your office staffroom or school, to getting rid of non-recyclable rubbish at your garage, restaurant or almost any business premises, all general waste you produce from commercial activity must be removed by a registered waste carrier.
It’s your responsibility to organise disposal of general waste and ensure you complete a waste transfer note for each load of general waste that leaves your business. Where possible it’s best to send as much waste as you can for recycling, but almost all businesses will generate some level of general waste that needs collecting.
How does general
waste collection work?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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What is
general waste?
General waste is any rubbish businesses and households throw away that you can’t usually recycle, so it often ends up in landfill. This includes waste such as non-recyclable plastics and packaging, food scraps, and non-hazardous cleaning materials. If you can’t recycle something and it’s not hazardous, then normally it classes as general waste.
General waste examples include:
- Non-recyclable plastics – cling film, wrappers, and crisp packets
- Non-hazardous cleaning products – wet wipes, sponges, and cloths
- Kitchen scraps – bones, leftover meat, and non-compostable food waste
General waste does not include:
Where possible, you should separate your waste to maximise recycling opportunities. As a business, it’s your responsibility to store your general commercial waste safely and securely and to keep waste to a minimum by reusing and recycling what you can. You should be able to present a Waste Transfer Note (WTN) for each individual load of general waste that leaves your premises.
What happens to
general waste?
Sadly, almost a quarter of general waste in the UK ends up in landfill, as it includes items that you cannot recycle. At a landfill site this type of waste is buried underground where it will slowly degrade and produce methane, depending on the type of material it’s made from.
Compactors and balers can compress general waste to reduce its size, taking up less landfill space. Depending on the site, your rubbish may go to general waste incinerators that totally destroy the rubbish. This reduces the amount that goes to landfill but burning can release toxic chemicals that damage the environment.
Arrange general waste collection near you and we’ll sort through it and remove any recyclable plastics, metals, cardboard, and other materials. This reduces the amount of rubbish going to landfill, helping protect our environment.
General waste incinerators can also turn it into fuel. Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is produced from domestic and commercial general waste, converted to energy, and used as an alternative to fossil fuels in power plants. This can help reduce your environmental impact.
What are the different types of
general waste?
General waste should only include non-recyclable rubbish, but some kinds of recyclable waste are sometimes included. There are many different types of general waste, such as:
- Plastics – sadly, you can’t recycle some plastics separately. Instead, you must put the likes of cling film, blister packaging and plastic-coated wrapping paper in your general waste bin. Understanding which types you can and can’t recycle is tricky. We offer all our customers free advice, and we can provide separate recycling bins for plastic and dry mixed recycling.
- Metals – many metal items are classed as general waste. These are things you can’t recycle easily and might include anything from a hole punch to pots, pans, and wire coat hangers.
- Ceramics – cracked, broken and even whole ceramics such as crockery, ornaments, and mugs class as general waste.
- Packaging materials – general waste covers many packaging materials, such as pieces of bubble wrap, padded envelopes, Jiffy bags, and coated wrapping papers.
- Cleaning materials – you can add wet wipes, paper towels, cleaning cloths, and other non-hazardous cleaning materials to your general waste collection.
- Wallpaper – typically, wallpaper and wall coverings such as lining paper, panels, and tiles, class as general waste.
- Bagged vacuum dust – after cleaning your premises, you should throw collected vacuum dust in your general waste bin in a bag. Don’t leave it loose in one of our wheelie bins, as it can become a health hazard.
- Snack wrappers – crisp packets, sweet bags, chocolate bar wrappers, and foil are regular bits of rubbish that you can throw in your general waste bin.
General waste removal
benefits and facts
It’s estimated that in 2018 the UK generated 43.9 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste – that’s similar to the weight of 12 million hippos. Of all the household municipal waste produced, in 2019 around 6.6 million tonnes of it went to landfill in the UK.
In 2020, local authorities in England collected 399kg of household waste per person – about the same weight as a horse. All this general waste going to landfill rots and decomposes, producing methane that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Proper general waste clearance benefits your business as you avoid sending as much waste to landfill as possible. This can help you avoid landfill fees for businesses, while reducing your company’s environmental impact – adding to your green credentials.
The UK generates around 43.9 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste each year
Read our reviews
Positive experience with David from Business Waste. Has always been pleasant and easy to deal with and he also got us a great deal on our general waste contract so all happy and would recommend.Laura Oxley
General waste
FAQs
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Can you recycle general waste?
We aim to send as little waste as possible to landfill. After we collect your general waste, we’ll sort it and send what we can to recycling. We’ll look out for:
- Plastics. You can recycle many plastics but it’s not always easy to work out which products can be reused. Our general waste disposal services can include sorting of recyclable plastics.
- Cardboard and paper. If you’re dispose of cardboard and paper in your general waste, you should recycle it separately.
- Metals. Specialist recycling plants can recycle many metals. We can sort these to reduce the amount of metal that goes to landfill.
- Bricks and wood. You can give products frequently used in construction, like rubble, bricks, or pieces of wood, another lease of life. Sort these from your general waste to use them elsewhere.
- Organic waste. Many businesses dispose of soil and organic waste. These recyclable, biodegradable products can be turned into compost at our facilities.
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What can you not put in a general waste bin?
Your general waste bin is where you should dispose of most of your household or industry rubbish. This is often where we get rid of food waste or leftovers. However, there are some items you cannot dispose of in this manner – which you may not know about.
You should NOT dispose of the following items in a general waste bin:
Recyclable materials – these should go in a recycling bin:
- Paper
- Glass containers
- Glass bottles
- Cardboard
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic containers
Potentially hazardous materials:
- Chemicals
- Gas canisters
- Medical waste (leftover medications etc)
- Batteries
- Paint
Electrical items – WEEE waste:
- Phones
- Laptops or computers
- Televisions
- Phone or laptop chargers
- Anything with batteries inside
- Lamps and lightbulbsOther
- Hot ash
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How do I arrange general waste collection?
To arrange general waste collections – and get free general waste bins for your business – contact us about our flexible waste management solutions. Simply select the number and type of bins you need, along with how often you want them collecting to get a tailored quote for your company.
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What is general household waste?
Household general waste should include all the domestic rubbish you can’t recycle. Unlike commercial general waste, you normally put this in your domestic bins for collection by your local council’s waste collection services. Common items you may throw in with general household waste are:
- Cooked food waste
- Nappies
- Dog waste
- Bagged vacuum dust
- Non-recyclable packaging
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Is general waste biodegradable?
As general waste is made up from a wide range of materials, some of it will biodegrade and decompose in landfill, while other elements will not. Any bits of food or green waste and biodegradable plastics included in general waste will decompose completely. Metals, glass, ceramics, and other materials within general waste may biodegrade but it can take many years.
Get a general waste collection quote
Get a fast FREE quote for your general waste
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of general waste disposal
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
4 September 2024
Trashy Tourism: Top 10 Filthiest Hotspots to Avoid
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