All businesses in the UK must pay licensed waste carriers to remove rubbish from their site and dispose of it at an appropriate facility. The costs involved vary depending on the types and amount of waste, your location, how often waste is collected, and the waste collector you use.
Every good business plan includes a strategy for waste management that should budget for the costs of storage, collection, and disposal. If you’re just starting out or are reviewing your budget and operations then you might wonder if you’re paying too much for waste management. Prices increase like anything else but there are ways to lower your spending.
Cost-effective waste management is possible for any kind and size of business and at Divert we can help. Understand why your commercial waste collection costs could be higher than expected and explore some easy actions for more affordable waste management.
Why are my waste management costs high?
There can be many potential reasons why your waste management costs may seem high. External factors such as rising prices of fuel and wages have an impact while internal factors like the bins and services you use affect costs. Knowing what you pay and why may help you identify the reasons why your waste management costs are more than expected.
These are some of the main reasons why you could be paying more (and even too much) for your waste collections:
- Rising prices – the general cost of living crisis means prices of fuel, wages, supplies, energy, and more are all increasing. Inflation and interest rates also play their part. This impacts waste management as companies pay more for fuel, workers, and higher rates, which are often reflected in unavoidable price increases for customers.
- HGV driver shortage – there are fewer HGV and lorry drivers in the UK for a few reasons. This includes the inability to conduct HGV tests during the Covid-19 pandemic, Visa difficulties after the UK left the EU, and many drivers retiring. It means there’s a smaller pool of drivers for waste collection companies and they must generally pay higher wages to attract drivers.
- A lack of recycling – just using a general waste bin to throw away all rubbish from your business is expensive and bad for the environment. You’ll pay more in landfill tax for disposal if your waste goes to landfill compared to sending it for recycling.
- Using bins that are too big – if you’re regularly half-filling your bins by the time they’re collected then you’ll pay for that empty space. Most waste collectors charge based on the size and volume of the bin and not the weight of its contents, so this could be a waste of money.
- Overfilling bins – you’ll face extra charges if your bins breach the max fill line or max weight limit. These should be outlined in your contract and the fees may vary depending on the amount or type of waste, meaning you exceed your waste management budget.
- Having too many waste collections – regular waste collections are important to keep your premises clean and tidy but if your bins are emptied before they’re full then you could be paying for too many collections.
- Infrastructure investment – to improve waste management in the UK there’s ongoing investment in recycling infrastructure and energy recovery facilities. Funding these facilities costs money and it may be reflected in your waste removal costs.
How to reduce waste management costs
All sorts of factors can affect your waste management costs, some of which you can control. External things like rising wages and fuel prices can’t be helped but you can review your current waste management processes to find ways to save money. Using the best bins, waste collection company, and practices can ensure cost-effective commercial waste management.
Consider these actions to try and reduce your waste management costs:
- Reduce your waste – the easiest way to cut back on your waste collection costs is to reduce the amount you create. Review the current waste types and volumes you produce and determine ways to reuse materials and minimise how much you generate. This could involve adapting processes, changing orders, and implementing policies.
- Recycle more – arranging collection of waste for recycling from your business costs less than sending it to landfill or for incineration. Assess your waste production and determine where you can recycle more materials rather than throwing them all in one general waste bin. Glass, cardboard, paper, metal, and some plastics should all be recycled. Having more recycling bins can be more cost-effective than using one big general waste container.
- Reduce collection frequencies – some things such as food waste should be removed regularly to keep your premises hygienic and prevent a foul odour from developing. However, for dry waste and recycling you could save money by storing it onsite for longer before booking collections. Switching to fortnightly rather than weekly collections helps ensure bins are full and reduces your waste collection costs.
- Use bigger bins – for dry waste it’s more cost-effective to use fewer big bins rather than lots of small ones. These save space and you can combine using bigger containers with less frequent collections for a cost-effective solution.
- Check weight and fill limits – avoid any overweight or excess waste charges by ensuring your rubbish is within any weight limits or max fill lines on the bins. If you’re often above or close to the limit then add an extra bin to your service or switch to larger containers, as it should be cheaper than regularly paying overweight charges.
- Look for rebates – some recycling can be collected, and you may receive a rebate, so it’s worth asking your waste collector about this.
- Use a reliable local waste collector – get a free quote from Divert tailored to your exact needs so you can see how much you’ll save and pay for waste collection. Using a local firm ensures less transport costs and affordable prices.
Save money on your commercial
waste collections with Divert
Get a free quote for waste collection with Divert today – call 0333 444 0118 or contact us online. One of our friendly experts can provide a bespoke price based on the type and volume of waste you need to be collected. They can advise on a cost-effective solution using the best bin types, sizes, and collection frequencies.
We provide commercial waste collections across Yorkshire. Save money and find out more about waste management in the following cities, towns, and surrounding regions:
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