WASTE - 07.09.2011

Use your council to cut waste cost

Recycle it

We’ve always said, the best way to save money on waste is to cut it out. But there’s only so much you can do, and what you’re left with has to be landfilled or recycled. In the past, councils have rarely offered collections for recycling so you’ve been charged an arm and a leg to landfill it - or recycle it using a private contractor. But things are changing.

More council waste services

New research by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) looked at how councils fared in terms of providing businesses with collection services. There were three main findings: (1) the percentage of local authorities offering a general trade waste service has increased from 56% to 65% in the last three years; (2) there has been a 6% rise in the number providing resource efficiency advice to businesses in the past year; and (3) the number of local authorities in England providing a trade recycling service for small businesses has nearly doubled in the past three years from 23% to 43%.

Tip. If you’re in an area not served by your council, but want to recycle, then be careful not to enter into a long-term contract with a commercial waste contractor. According to WRAP, many more councils will be providing services in the future.

Recycling costs less

If a council has to landfill your waste, then it will be quite expensive. Not least because landfill tax is rising year on year, but councils also have targets to cut the amount of waste they bury. So to encourage you to recycle, the collection services for recyclable waste they offer are a lot cheaper than for general waste. Note. Some 70% of office waste is recyclable, but on average only 7.5% reaches a recycling facility.

An example

Camden Council in London is one of the 43% that has a recycling service available to businesses. We took a look at their services and found that you could save up to 40% by sorting some of your waste for recycling. In terms of general waste a Eurobin (660 litre) will cost you £12.42 per collection. Meanwhile, if it’s recycling that they are collecting, the charge for the same size bin is just £5.32. Also, they’d only charge you £1.01 for any size of taped card.

Tip 1. In this example, the collection rate for a 660 litre Eurobin was the same as a 1,100 litre - you can throw double the waste for the same cost!

Tip 2. You will be charged a hire fee for the bins, so make sure you don’t get a size you can’t fill. A Eurobin is £127 for the year, while a large wheelie bin (360 litres) is just £15.