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Business and trade waste

We accept business waste at Thetford, King's Lynn, DerehamHemptonCaister, Norwich North and Norwich South recycling centres, for a charge. This service is available Monday to Friday only. Please note that the Business and Trade Waste service is not available on Bank Holidays.

Business or trade waste includes waste from:

  • Commercial or trade businesses
  • Charities
  • Churches
  • Schools
  • Parish councils
  • Other community groups
  • Any premises used wholly or mainly for trade or business, sport or recreation, education or entertainment

Waste from these is not classed as household and therefore a charge will apply of its disposal.

This also includes waste from work carried out on a domestic property, where the person carrying out the work is not the homeowner.  You will need to have a waste carriers' licence to use this service (see below).

What types of waste we accept through the trade waste service

Items we accept as trade waste:

  • Non-recyclable waste, like carpets, sofas, rigid plastic, mattresses and black bagged waste
  • Garden waste (ie hedge cuttings, grass cuttings and leaves)
  • Flat or sheet glass (ie from windows)
  • Rubble (ie bricks and concrete)
  • Plasterboard
  • Timber (ie clean structural wood or wooden furniture)
  • Scrap metal
  • Paper and cardboard
  • Textiles
  • Glass bottles (empty)

Items we don't accept as trade waste:

  • Electrical equipment (ie fridges, televisions, printers etc)
  • Tyres (either cars or agricultural)
  • Cooking oil
  • Engine oil
  • Car batteries
  • Household batteries
  • Gas bottles
  • Light bulbs or fluorescent tubes
  • Hazardous waste such as paint or household chemicals
  • Industrial waste
  • Agricultural waste
  • Food waste
  • Any other items that we don't usually accepted at our recycling centres, like hazardous waste

 

How to use the service

Stop at the site office when you arrive, or find a member of site staff.  Our site staff will assess your waste, calculate a charge for disposal and take payment before you unload it.  You can pay by credit or debit card, but not cash.  No refunds will be given once payment has been taken and the waste disposed of.

You'll pay less if you separate your waste - separated recyclable materials are charged at a lower rate than mixed loads.  Unsorted loads, whether they're made up of recyclable materials or not, will be charged at the unsorted waste price.

More about using this service

  • You'll need to provide your Waste Carriers Licence number
  • Vehicle size is limited to 3.5 tonnes maximum
  • Arrive on site at least 30 minutes before closing time to allow enough time to dispose of your waste
  • The service will be subject to operational capacity at the sites and priority will be given to householders
  • Our staff may not be available to help you load your waste into the correct containers, so bring help if you need it
  • We only accept plasterboard if you separate it from the rest of your waste

 

Trade waste guide prices

Speak to a member of staff on arrival and they will assess your waste and take payment before you unload your waste.

You will pay less if you separate your waste - separated materials are charged at a lower rate than mixed loads. Payment will need to be paid by debit or credit card.

We calculate prices based on the material and amount of waste you bring. Your load will be assessed by site staff and prices are non-negotiable. As loads will be assessed into 100 litre bag equivalent amounts we recommend that you separate and bag as much of your waste as possible.

You must separate plasterboard or we won't accept it.

These guide prices are based per bag or item and include VAT.

Any decision made by our staff about trade waste will be final and prices are non-negotiable.

From 1 April 2020 we introduced a half bag/item price for plasterboard. This material is difficult to throw away correctly and is expensive, requiring specialist disposal. We recognise many people bring plasterboard to the recycling centre and the half bag price has been brought in to help those with a very small amount to dispose of. Prices are £4.50 for amounts less than half a bag (50 litres or equivalent).

Prices per 100 litre sack or single item:

The cost of recycling and waste disposal have been increasing and as a result we had to raise the prices of our Pay as You Throw (Trade waste) service from 1 April 2023.

This was the first increase since the prices were set in 2018 and the service still offers good value for money for traders wanting to dispose of small volumes of waste.

The price per 100 litre sack or single item is:

  • Flat glass - £5
  • Glass bottles - £2
  • Green waste - £4.50
  • Paper and card - £2
  • Plasterboard - £12 (1 half bag of plasterboard - £6)
  • Rubble - £3.50
  • Scrap metal - no charge
  • Textiles - £2
  • Timber - £3.50
  • Unsorted/non-recyclable waste - £6

 

Fulfilling your legal responsibilities

Businesses and individuals have a legal duty of care to take all reasonable steps to store and dispose of waste safely.

Please note that your business rates do not include the cost of your business waste disposal.

The law also applies to anyone working from home such as gardeners, child minders, decorators, office work, bookkeepers, hairdressers, clearance or delivery vans or any waste generated by anyone running a business. As well as the obvious waste generated by the business, waste could also include the litter bin, waste food or paperwork.

Part of our legal requirement is to provide businesses with the correct paperwork and site staff will complete a waste transfer note on site for each visit.

You'll be given a copy of the waste transfer note, which proves you have transferred the waste to an authorised waste facility.  You should keep this in your files in case you're asked to produce it by the Environment Agency or local council.  You'll also get a copy of the payment receipt and a record of what you have disposed of.

For more information on 'duty of care', including help on how your business can meet its legal obligations, visit Right Waste Right Place.

 

Waste carrier's licence

If you carry waste as part of your business (eg garden waste, house clearances, building works etc) then you are classed as a waste carrier and you must register online with the Environment Agency, or call them on 03708 506 506. Site staff will need to see your waste carriers licence before accepting your waste as part of our trade waste scheme.

 

Other ways to dispose of trade waste

Some district councils provide local businesses with trade waste collection services.  The best option for your business will depend on the amount and type of waste you produce at your business premises.

Some waste disposal companies are listed on the Norfolk Recycles website.

Prices for collection through other contractors can vary, so we suggest that you contact at least three local waste collection companies to compare.  Before you employ a contractor to collect your waste, check that they are licensed waste carriers and that they will provide you with waste transfer notes.