What Happens to Rubbish After Collection?

When the van pulls away, that is not the end of the journey for your waste — it is the start of a sorting and recycling process designed to keep as much as possible out of landfill. Here is what really happens.

Step 1: Transfer station

Loads are taken to a licensed waste transfer station rather than straight to landfill. This is a facility permitted by the Environment Agency to receive, sort and bulk up waste before it moves on for recycling or recovery.

Step 2: Sorting

Mixed loads are tipped and separated — often by a combination of machinery and hand-picking — into material streams: wood, metal, plastics, cardboard, hardcore, green waste and general residual waste. The more a load is separated, the more can be recycled.

Step 3: Recycling and recovery

Each stream goes to a specialist route:

• Wood is chipped for board manufacture or biomass fuel.
• Metals are sent for smelting and reuse.
• Green waste is composted.
• Hardcore and rubble are crushed into aggregate for construction.
• Fridges, mattresses and electricals go to dedicated facilities that strip them into recyclable parts.

Step 4: Energy from waste

Whatever genuinely cannot be recycled is increasingly sent to energy-from-waste plants, where it is burned to generate electricity rather than buried in the ground.

Why it matters

Responsible disposal is not just good for the planet — it is a legal duty of care. Waste must be handled by licensed operators and documented with a waste transfer note. It also keeps costs down, because recycling is often cheaper than landfill tax.

Our commitment

We are a fully licensed waste carrier and aim to divert well over 90% of what we collect away from landfill through recycling and recovery. Book a collection on our instant calculator, and your waste will be handled the right way.