Business recycling and reuse

I am a local business; what should I do with my waste?

Waste produced by businesses is trade or business waste. Business owners have a responsibility to treat their waste and ensure its appropriate disposal. This law is known as your duty of care.

You are encouraged to recycle and reuse your rubbish to minimise the amount which ends up in landfill. Many businesses have private collections for recycling as they would for their rubbish.

Local Authorities in the Partnership are currently providing the following services for businesses:

Peterborough City:

A recycling collection for paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, glass, and food and drink cans as well as a refuse collection is offered by the Peterborough City Council. To receive a quotation for the services please call 01733 747474 or e-mail refuse@peterborough.gov.uk

South Cambridgeshire:

A recycling collection for paper and card is available.

For further information on this service please contact South Cambridgeshire District Council on 08450 450 500 or e-mail scdc@scambs.gov.uk

Cambridge City:

A recycling collection for glass and cardboard and a refuse collection are available. For further information please contact Cambridge City Council on 01223 457000, or email enquiries@cambridge.gov.uk

Cambridgeshire County Council:

  • Transfer stations at Waterbeach, Alconbury for the receipt of trade waste;
  • The transfer station at Wisbech also accepts small-scale traders;
  • A further site at March is planned for 2010.

These services are provided in partnership with Donarbon Ltd. of Waterbeach. Call Donarbon Ltd on 01223 861010 for more information.

  • Waste Recycling Group (WRG) also receives trade waste at their sites in Buckden, Milton, Grunty Fen and March. Call 01604 826200 for further information.

Fenland District:

A recycling collection for paper and card is available.

For further information on this service please contact Fenland District Council on 01354 654321 or e-mail info@fenland.gov.uk

East Cambridgeshire: no trade waste services; can provide contact details for their contractor.

Huntingdonshire District: provides refuse collection only.

Waste Awareness Certificate - training opportunities

The training for the Waste Awareness Certificate (CIWM accredited) is available from CCORRN and Waste Watch for people responsible for waste and recycling in their organisation. You can learn:

  • Learn about different types of waste
  • Know your legal responsibilities for waste
  • How to conduct a waste audit to identify cost savings
  • How to reduce, reuse and recycle waste
  • Learn about disposal routes for remaining wastes
  • Deal with waste safely
  • Identify sources of help

Where else can I recycle my businesses waste?

Business Recycling Services Directory gives a list of all local companies that could recycle or reuse your business waste.

Guide to Business Recycling provides a self-auditing guide for your business waste.

These resources were developed by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership, with support of the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Programme funding.

Also, the Environment Agency website lists all licensed waste contractors and items they collect for recycling and disposal. You can find a number of local waste contractors there that collect a range of materials from business for recycling, for example, paper, cardboard, timber, scrap metal and green waste.

How can my business waste be reused?

Reuse of materials is the most sustainable way of treating your rubbish.

Community Recycling Network website can help you find a community group that might benefit from your unwanted materials. They can sometimes also help to match businesses' waste with the community groups' needs. Please contact the Community Recycling Network directly on 01223 411494.

The Eastex Material Exchange is an online tool, which works like a free online 'dating agency', matching businesses, organisations and individuals, allowing them to exchange their unwanted materials. It enables you to view or place adverts about redundant stock and surplus raw materials and then find a 'match', saving money and keeping useful materials in circulation and out of landfill.

The tool started life in Cambridgeshire and has already diverted nearly 4,000 tonnes of material from landfill and saved businesses over £400,000.

You may also contact other organisations such as the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP), Envirowise and Business Link, which maybe able to help you find the best solutions to put your waste to a good use.