General waste in Westminster
If your business is looking to have general waste collected, which is waste that cannot or should not be recycled, then Commercial Waste Services can help. We can collect whatever general waste your business produces and dispose of it safely, without the use of landfill or exporting it abroad.
The waste deposited in landfill sites never fully degrades and produces methane, which is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas. Landfills also produce leachate, which leaks from the waste and contaminates groundwater. Some waste collectors simply send their waste abroad, and last year 1.7 million tonnes of London’s business waste was exported rather than put to good use closer to home.
Westminster City Council Commercial Waste Services does not export waste from businesses or take it to landfill. We can help you dispose of your waste locally and in the most environmentally friendly way possible. You can read more information below about how we collect and process general waste.
WHAT SHOULD BE DISPOSED OF AS GENERAL WASTE?
- Hand towels
- Plastic bags
- Plastic film and wrapping
- Composite materials such as sachets and trays
- Plastic crates
- Polystyrene
- Food waste (if you do not use segregated food waste recycling)
- Food soiled items & packaging
- Wooden packaging
- Nappies/sanitary items
- Sandwich and salad packs
BENEFITS OF USING OUR SERVICES
- We use general waste to generate electricity and district heating for London homes.
- We are reliable. Our collection crews a have a 24/7 presence in Westminster. We are never far away from your business to help you.
- We are flexible. We can help you to tailor waste services that suit your business requirements.
- Our collection vehicles are low emission or fully electric.
- We dispose of your waste locally - approximately 8km from Westminster.
- We are based in Westminster and don’t travel long distances into Westminster to collect your waste, minimising vehicle movement.
- Cost effective: we beat any quotes from others. You also do not pay VAT which improves your cashflow.
Get started with general waste collections
Step 1
Get started with general waste bags or bins
If you have off-street storage space, we strongly recommend using one of our waste bins, they are by far the best way to have your waste collected. They come in big and small sizes depending on how much rubbish you produce.
If you can’t store a waste bin within your premises, then you can use the red bags for general waste. They are sold on a prepaid basis, so you only have to pay for what you actually use. The price of each red bag pays to have it collected by the truck and for it to be treated safely to high standards that do not harm the environment. No contract is required. Just order the bags online or by phone, fill them with rubbish and leave them out for collection at the scheduled time.
Step 2
Sort your waste into the right bag or bin
There are some materials that require special treatment and therefore, do not belong in your general waste. Hazardous waste, clinical waste, bulky waste, electrical items and sharp items must all be disposed of using a specialist service.
Ensure you use recycling services and put any recyclable material into these bins or bags.
Step 3
We collect your general waste
If you are using red general waste bags, then you must leave these out at your street’s scheduled time. Do not leave them out outside of these times. If you are using general waste bins then you can decide when your waste is collected. We can collect waste bins from once a week to up to 4 times a day, 365 days a year.
Step 4
Your general waste is sent for treatment locally
The general waste that we collect from you is sent a short ride from Westminster to SELCHP (South East London Combined Heat and Power), our energy recovery facility (ERF) in Deptford.
Step 5
Energy recovery
The general waste that is sent to SELCHP is combusted and used as a fuel to generate enough electricity and district heating for 50,000 London homes. We also use the electricity generated to power our electric vehicles. This makes a formidable closed-loop solution. The district heating scheme eliminates the need for homes to have individual gas boilers for heating and helps tackles fuel poverty for vulnerable residents. Gas fired boilers are a significant source of nitrogen oxide (NOx), a substantial part of London’s air pollution issue. Every bag of waste used as fuel at the ERF generates enough heat for 7 hot showers.
Once the waste has been fully combusted for energy generation the remaining ash (called ‘bottom ash’) is recycled into an aggregate used in road building and construction. The metals that remain in the bottom ash are segregated for recycling using magnets and eddy currents.
OUR RESOURCES
Learn more about managing general waste in Westminster
1
9 tips for reducing waste
This useful guide presents 9 tips that will not only help you reduce the amount of general waste you’re creating, but it will help you save time, money and the environment.
The guide includes:
- Stopping potential waste from being produced in the first place
- Finding solutions for reusing some of the items you no longer need
- Tips on how to reduce paper waste in the office
- Separating recyclable material from general waste
- Avoiding fines by placing bags out on the street at the wrong time or having it handled it incorrectly.
- Sending zero waste to landfill
2
General waste poster
We have a range of posters that you can download and place around your workplace or on your bins to remind people what waste belongs where. They are the perfect way to ensure that your recycling is not being contaminated and your general waste levels are kept to a minimum.
Download now
5
Waste audit
Our waste management audit will allow our experts to identify the services that your business requires. An audit is a good way to start recycling more of your business’ waste. Our expert will come to your premises at a time that suits you and provide you with valuable insight into how you can take your waste management to the next level.
Book now
WHERE WE WORK
Areas of operation
Whilst we only offer our services to businesses in Westminster, we can help you to find the best possible waste and recycling services if you have sites outside of Westminster. For example, if you are a chain with multiple locations in London or across the country, we can still help you.