Everything You Need to Know About Bulky Waste Collection
- Admin
- March 10, 2024
We all have old appliances, unutilised furniture, and bulky items that are neither reusable nor in the condition to be donated. We don’t know what to do with them, so they are resting somewhere in the corner of the house.
Are you someone experiencing the same dilemma? If yes, then congratulations, you have landed on the right page! Read the blog to understand the bulky waste collection, its importance, who can collect them for you and how they are disposed of.
What Is Bulky Waste?
Bulky waste or bulky refuse is the term used in waste management. It means all the things that are:
- Discarded by the household
- Too big for the standard waste collection services
Within this domain, there are two distinct categories:
- Clean, bulky junk: Also termed as trade waste by councils, clean bulky junk includes furniture, i.e. beds, sofas, wardrobes, tables, mattresses, kids’ strollers, bric-a-brac, home appliances, carpets, and others.
- Messy, bulky junk: It includes construction waste like tiles, fences, doors, windows, kitchen and bathroom units, and others.
Importance of Bulky Waste Collection
Collection of bulky waste is essential for many reasons, including but not limited to:
- Free up your Space: Important to declutter extra waste and utilise your space wisely.
- Environment Protection: Keeping unused electronic appliances in your home is not healthy for the environment i.e. it may rot, release harmful gases, or may catch fire.
- Resource Recovery: Many of the bulky items include recyclable and reusable parts. So, bulky waste collection helps to resource recovery.
- Legal Compliance: Throwing your bulky waste can get you in trouble, so their collection and disposal should be done responsibly to avoid any adverse consequences.
- Community Responsibility: Being a responsible citizen, you must take care of the community. It comes under your responsibility to contribute to the cleanliness of your area and the environment.
Who Can Collect Your Bulky Waste?
Here are a few reliable sources that you can rely on for bulky waste collection:
A House Clearance Service
Many companies like TLC across the UK are offering house clearance services. With this service, the experts visit your house and do an analysis. This service has made bulky waste collection convenient.
This service is primarily popular with the removal of furniture or bric-a-brac and other resalable items. The experts from the house clearance company do “totting”, i.e. to calculate how many items are resalable and at what cost. After totting, the experts give you a quote for their service.
The quote depends on how many valuable items you want to be collected and their potential to be sold in the market at a reasonable cost. The more such items you have the lesser will be the service charges. This way, by paying a small fee, you can get your bulky items collected with no hassle.
Retailers
Many retailers, like furniture and appliance retailers, have take-back schemes or offers. For example, a furniture retailer has an ongoing offer to take back your old sofa and replace it with a new one. The new sofa may be given at a relatively lower price or the same. This way, you can get a new sofa while removing the older one at an affordable cost.
Such retailers may reuse or recycle the product or donate it to charity. This is a market gimmick they use to attract potential customers. At the same time, your bulky waste is collected without any hassle, and you get a piece of newer furniture at relatively less cost, so it is a win-win situation!
Council Bulky Waste Collection for Households
All the local councils are required to offer bulk waste collection to the residents. The bulk waste collection is usually free, but sometimes it may require some charges, i.e. you may have to pay for the transport cost or other charges. The services take some time and don’t include everything. Connect with your local authority to get into the details.
Skip Hire
Skips are highly robust bags that you can purchase and fill with waste. They are great for the disposal of messy bulk junk like construction waste, rubble, paints, etc. You can fill them out and later on get them collected by professionals. However, such a method for bulky waste collection is a bit pricier, requires labour, can cause a mess, and may damage your hallways.
Man and Van Service
It is one of the most convenient options. Hire a man and a van service. They have highly flexible scheduling options. They come with a man and a van to collect your bulky waste and carry it away at affordable prices. So, you don’t have to worry about anything. It is cheaper than skip hire and a lot faster.
Best Ways You Can Dispose of Bulky Waste Yourself!
Local Council Dumps
The safest and cheapest way to dispose of your bulky waste is to connect with your local civil amenity site or house waste and recycling centres.
However, there are a few things to consider if you are choosing this option:
- Do your research or contact the local authority to confirm what type of bulky waste they accept. The acceptance list is different for different areas.
- Council tips have height restrictions, so they may stop your hired van from getting in.
- Compete the disposal work on weekdays as it is jam-packed on weekends, so you will be stuck in the long queue.
- Most councils do not have any fees; however, some might have. So, check if they have any service charges beforehand.
- You should keep some documentation like a license, a council tax bill or anything that can prove you are a local resident.
Donate
Consider donating your bulky waste if it is reusable. Look around in your family, friends or neighbours. Otherwise, you may donate it to charity centres. They will hand over your stuff safely to needy people.
Sell Online
It is a digital world, and it acquires digital solutions. Take pictures of the saleable stuff and sell it online to make the best out of the bulky waste. Connect with the potential customers and sell it at the best price.
Burn Off the Waste
This is the last option and not so favourable. You can burn off the flammable bulky waste in your lawn. There are no legal prohibitions on that unless someone is getting disturbed by the smoke originating from the bonfire.
However, it’s not good for the environment as the wood from the furniture, doors, or windows contains preservatives that release harmful gases when burnt. So, it’s definitely not an environment-friendly option!
If you are considering house removals and waste disposal while ensuring legal compliance and environmental concerns, then opt for the services at TLC. We offer efficient services while ensuring to take measures to protect the environment. So, contact us right away.