Business waste and recycling

There have been changes to business waste collections due to the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

This information was last updated on 23 April 2020.

If you are a business who currently has a waste collection contract with Northumberland County Council, and you have had to temporarily close due to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), you may not need us for the time being.

 

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Northumberland County Council aim to help local businesses choose the right waste disposal and recycling options.

Business waste is not permitted at any of the Northumberland household waste recovery centres (HWRCs). This includes landlord waste and property development waste (also classed as business or commercial waste).

• Please click here to view the business waste services leaflet.
• Please click here for our talk rubbish to save money leaflet.
• Please click here for the business waste direct debit mandate.
• Please click here to view the review your waste leaflet.
• Please click here to view the resource efficiency guide from WRAP.

You can also visit the Recycle-More website for more advice.
 

Garden waste

Skip hire

Holiday accommodation waste

The council provides a range of high-quality, reliable business waste collection and recycling services that will benefit your business and the environment:

• We can collect your recyclable material at a reduced cost.
• Your non-recyclable business waste is converted to fuel to supply electricity for the National Grid, and isn’t buried in landfill sites that harm the environment.
• Businesses can also request a quotation for the collection of bulky waste items.

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Bulky waste

Charities

Agricultural waste officially became controlled in May 2006. It is subject to legislation called The Waste Management Regulations 2006 (England and Wales). This is also known as Statutory Instrument 2006, no. 937.

• The legal definition is ‘waste from premises used for agriculture’ from the Agriculture Act 1947
• All substances or objects from premises used for agriculture, which are discarded by the holder.

Agriculture includes:

• Horticulture
• Fruit and seed growing
• Dairy farming
• Livestock breeding and keeping
• The use of land as grazing land
• Meadow and osier land
• Market gardens and nursery grounds
• The use of land for woodlands, where that use is important to the farming of the land for other agricultural purposes

 

• You can store your waste on-site for up to 12 months. You don’t have to inform the Environment Agency of this, but after a 12-month period, you will have to recover or dispose of your waste.
• You can take the waste to a licensed site yourself. You will have to register as a waste carrier to transport your own waste.

• You can take the waste to someone else for recovery off-farm at an appropriately licensed site.
• Waste management companies can remove your waste, but they must be registered with the Environment Agency.
• You can also register a license exemption with the Environment Agency to recover or dispose of your waste on-farm.

Businesses have a duty of care to dispose of any hazardous waste such as dangerous chemicals or asbestos in a responsible way which won’t harm the public, employees, or the environment.

There are strict controls on the disposal, recovery, and movement of hazardous waste due to its potential harm to human health or the environment.

Please click here to find out more about hazardous waste from the Environment Agency.

 

Asbestos

If you are a trades person doing any building works it is very important that you have had training so that you  know where you might find asbestos during work you are carrying out and which types of asbestos to completely avoid.
 

• Health and Safety Executive:
  • please click here for the asbestos essentials task manual
  • this task manual is for building, maintenance, and allied trades on how to safely carry out non-licensed work involving asbestos
• Training requirements:
  • The Asbestos Removal Contractor Association
  • Health and Safety Executive
• Advice about asbestos removal:
  • The Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA)
  • Vega Environmental Consultants Ltd 
  • The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
  • Asbestos Licensing explained
     

 

Chemicals

• Cleansing Services Group (CSG)
• Waste Care
• Adler and Allan
• All Waste Matters
• Veolia

 

If you are a business, it would be a good idea to have an audit to set up a waste management plan.

• the quantity of waste that is being generated by your business
• the types of waste being produced by your business

• prevented or reduced
• recycled or composted
• potentially hazardous
• affected by recent regulations, and therefore can no longer be legally disposed of via the general rubbish route

Disclaimer: All information was correct at the time of publication (February 2020).

Is my business compliant with the rules and regulations of waste disposal?

• The WEEE regulations include discarded electrical items such as fridges, TVs, and printers.
• The regulations state that it is the responsibility of the business to arrange for the collection and disposal of the waste.
• It is not the council’s responsibility.

Compliance with the Controlled Waste Regulations 2012

   

Location	Collection charge	Disposal charge
A place of worship	No	No
A caravan or mobile home belonging to gypsies and travellers	No	No
Waste from premises wholly or mainly used for public meetings	Yes	No
Waste from a charity shop selling donated goods originating from domestic property	Yes	Yes (only non-domestic waste)
Waste from premises occupied by a community interest company, charity, or not for profit body, which collects goods for reuse or waste to prepare for reuse from domestic property	Yes	Yes (only non-domestic waste)
Waste from a residential home	Yes	Yes
Waste from premises forming part of a university, school or other educational establishment	Yes	Yes (unless the local authority collected the waste prior to 6th April 2012)
Waste forming part of a hospital or nursing home except for waste from a residential hostel (see above)	Yes	Yes
Waste from a penal institution	Yes	Yes
Self-catering accommodation, campsites and caravan parks (either for self-catering accommodation or not allowed to be used throughout the year)	Yes	Yes (unless eligible for free disposal prior to 6th April 2012 & eligible for Small Business Rate Relief)
Premises occupied by a charity and wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes	Yes (unless from a place of worship or used for public meetings which is treated as household waste)	Yes (unless from a place of worship or used for public meetings which is treated as household waste)
Premises occupied by a club, society etc. whose activities are conducted for the benefit of its members	Yes	Yes

PLEASE NOTE: Charges may vary depending on your circumstances, like the size and number of your bins, frequency of collection, type of waste and whether or not we charge for collection and disposal.