Acceptable Waste Policy

This policy forms part of our Terms of Service. It sets out what can go in a container, what cannot, and what a restricted item costs if it turns up in the load anyway.

The reason any of this matters: the price and the disposal route both depend on what is actually in the container. A load that does not match its description is re-weighed and re-charged at the facility, and we pass that on at cost.

What can go in

General household and renovation waste, including:

• furniture and general junk
• timber, doors, skirting and floorboards
• bricks, rubble, concrete, tiles and hardcore
• soil, turf and garden waste
• plastics, packaging and cardboard
• scrap metal and pipework

If you are clearing a mix, choose the waste type that describes the bulk of it and tell us about anything unusual when you book. Heavy materials such as soil, rubble and concrete are booked as their own waste type, and the size of container they can go in is limited.

What cannot go in at all

These cannot be accepted in any container, under any circumstances. If they are found, the container may be left where it is, the load refused, and the wasted journey charge in section 14 of our Terms applied.

• Asbestos in any form — this needs a licensed specialist collection; call us and we will point you to one
• Explosives, ammunition, flares
• Clinical, medical or pharmaceutical waste
• Animal or human waste
• Loose or leaking chemicals, acids and solvents
• Petrol, diesel, oil and other fuels
• Railway sleepers treated with creosote, and timber with old lead paint
• Household batteries, and lithium batteries of any kind (phones, tools, e-bikes) — a fire risk in a tipped load

Restricted items — accepted only if declared, and surcharged

These can usually be taken, but they have to be declared when you book, because each has its own disposal route and its own cost. The figures below are the charges we are billed by the disposal facility, passed on at cost.

Upholstered seating is surcharged because of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the foam and fabric. Since 2023 these items cannot be landfilled or recycled with general waste and must be incinerated separately. It is a genuine disposal cost, not an administrative fee.

Plasterboard cannot be mixed with general waste because it produces hydrogen sulphide in landfill, so it goes in a skip of its own: choose plasterboard as the waste type when you book.

Empty, dry paint tins are fine in general waste. It is liquid paint that is the problem.

Carpet and roofing felt are fine in small amounts. Where they make up more than about a tenth of the load, tell us before you book and we will price it.

Cage vans

A cage van takes light waste only — bags, boxes, packaging, furniture, light timber and clearance waste — loaded by hand through its rear doors. It cannot take:

• soil, turf, bricks, rubble, concrete or hardcore
• plasterboard
• paint, liquids or anything that could leak
• anything on the "cannot go in at all" list above

Restricted items that suit a van, such as upholstered seating and mattresses, carry the same surcharges as above and must be declared when you book.

Loading rules

• Load level — nothing above the height of the sides. An overloaded container cannot be lifted safely and will not be collected.
• Distribute weight evenly, heavy material at the bottom.
• No fires in the container.
• Nothing that could fall out in transit.

If something restricted is found

We will tell you what was found and what it costs before charging anything. If a prohibited item is found the container may be left until it is removed.

Not sure about something? Call 07746 641 912 before you book. It is always cheaper than finding out at the weighbridge.