General Waste Collection & Disposal Services

General waste is any non-recyclable, non-hazardous rubbish your business produces. These items cannot go into your recycling or food waste bins, but they also don’t require specialist disposal.
Common examples include:

• Non-recyclable plastics such as cling film and sweet wrappers
• Used cleaning materials like wipes and cloths
• Snack wrappers and crisp packets
• Bagged vacuum dust
• Broken ceramics such as mugs and crockery

A general waste bin should only hold non-recyclable, non-hazardous rubbish. This prevents contamination and keeps disposal costs down.

You can include:

• Non-recyclable plastics
• Non-hazardous cleaning products
• Food scraps and kitchen waste where food bins are not yet required
• Old textiles and soft materials
• Broken household or office items that cannot be recycled

You should not include recyclables, electrical items, chemicals or anything that classifies as hazardous waste.

To stay compliant, protect staff safety and avoid contamination fees, the following must never be placed in general waste bins:

• Recyclables: cardboard, paper, plastics, glass, bottles and tins
• Electrical items (WEEE): phones, laptops, chargers, lamps
• Hazardous materials: paint tins, batteries, chemicals, gas canisters
• Medical waste: sharps, medicines, clinical items
• Hot ash or anything that may ignite

If you’re unsure, speak to our team.

General waste can cover a wide range of everyday items that cannot be recycled. Typical types include:

• Non-recyclable plastics
• Ceramics and broken crockery
• Padded envelopes, Jiffy bags and bubble wrap
• Wallpaper, wall coverings and old décor
• Bagged vacuum dust
• Snack wrappers and foil packets
• Damaged or worn-out metal items such as coat hangers or small office tools

These items often end up in DMR bins by mistake, so understanding the waste stream helps reduce contamination.

After collection, general waste usually undergoes a combination of treatment processes to minimise environmental impact. These may include:

• Energy from Waste: rubbish is burned under controlled conditions to generate heat and electricity
• Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF): waste is processed into fuel for power plants
• Mechanical treatment: materials are mechanically separated to recover anything recyclable
• Landfill (where unavoidable): although the UK is reducing its reliance on landfill, around a quarter of general waste still ends up there

For most Business Waste customers, landfill diversion is prioritised wherever possible.

Some elements of general waste will biodegrade, such as food scraps, organic matter and biodegradable plastics.
However, many other materials can take decades or centuries to break down, including:

• Plastics
• Ceramics
• Metals
• Certain textiles

Separating food waste is now a legal requirement for most businesses, helping reduce the amount of biodegradable waste entering landfill.

All commercial general waste must be collected by a licensed waste carrier. You must also:

• Store waste securely in the correct bins
• Keep recyclables separate to avoid contamination
• Complete a Waste Transfer Note (WTN) for each collection
• Ensure collections are carried out by a registered waste carrier

Using Business Waste ensures everything is handled legally, with a free Duty of Care certificate for every collection.

Reducing general waste lowers collection costs and improves your environmental performance. Some simple steps include:

• Introducing or expanding recycling bins
• Ensuring staff understand waste segregation
• Using refillable or reusable products
• Switching to recyclable packaging
• Avoiding single-use plastics where possible

For more ideas, explore our Reduce Waste guide.