How Much of Your Rubbish Gets Recycled or Reused?

One of the most common questions we get is: "Where does it all go?" The honest answer is that it depends on what the waste is. Some materials are almost fully recycled, and some are much harder to deal with. Here is what happens to the things we collect most often.

Wood, metal and cardboard

These are some of the easiest materials to recycle. Wooden furniture, fencing and pallets are usually chipped for reuse, for example in panel board or biomass fuel. Metal is sold for scrap and melted down. Cardboard goes back into paper making.

Garden waste

Grass, hedge cuttings, branches and leaves are taken for composting. Green waste is one of the best materials for recycling, because it can be turned back into soil improver.

Rubble, soil and stone

Builder's rubble, bricks and concrete are crushed and screened to make recycled aggregate, which is used for things like sub-bases for roads and paths. Clean soil can also be reused.

Fridges, freezers and appliances

Electrical items are classed as WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment), and they must not go to landfill. Fridges and freezers are taken to specialist sites where the gases are removed safely, then the metal, plastic and other parts are recovered.

Mattresses

Mattresses are hard to recycle, but not impossible. At specialist sites the springs, foam and fabric are separated, so the steel can be recycled and some of the foam reused.

Sofas and upholstered furniture

Sofas, armchairs and other upholstered items may contain chemicals called POPs (persistent organic pollutants), used in older foams and fabrics. These items must be kept separate and destroyed safely rather than recycled or sent to landfill. We handle this for you.

Usable items

If furniture or other items are still in good condition, we look to pass them on for reuse where we can, rather than throw them away.

Why your choice of collector matters

Everything above only happens if your waste reaches a licensed site. Rogue traders and unlicensed carriers may offer cheaper prices, but often skip the tip and fly-tip the waste instead, so nothing gets recycled and you could face a fine.

We take every load to licensed facilities, where on average more than 95% of what we collect is recycled or recovered rather than sent to landfill. You also get a digital waste transfer note for every job, so you always have proof of where your waste went.