Retail Waste Management
Waste management in retail is a key focus area to reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill and help protect our planet. At Business Waste, we understand the difficulties the retail sector faces managing daily retail waste and offer a range of services for collection and disposal.
Whether you’re a small convenience store in a rural village, a large supermarket, shopping centre, or retail store in an airport, you still need efficient and cost-effective retail waste management. We work with all retail companies, no matter how big or small, to help you better manage your rubbish with our specialist retail waste collection services.
Retailers end up with many types of waste that could be harmful to their immediate surroundings and the environment. As a responsible retailer, you should know where your waste comes from and ends up. Get a free quote today for collection of your retail waste from anywhere in the UK by calling 0800 211 8390 or contacting us online.
Collections last 7 days
Get a free quote
Get a fast FREE quote for your retail waste collections
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of retail waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Retail waste disposal
and recycling
Methods of retail waste disposal depends on the type of rubbish your shop produces. It’s important that you store each waste stream in separate bins to avoid the chance of contamination, so as much as possible is recycled. Our licensed waste carriers can then collect your retail waste bins and take them to an appropriate facility for disposal.
We operate on a zero landfill policy, so aim to ensure as much waste in retail as possible is recycled or reused. Some of the common disposal and recycling methods for retail waste types include:
- Food waste – rather than heading to landfill, food waste can go through anaerobic digestion to produce biogas that’s used to generate renewable energy.
- Glass recycling – waste glass is sorted, cleaned, crushed, heated, and formed into new glass products.
- Plastic recycling – it depends on the type of plastic, but kinds like PET for drinks bottles are shredded, cleaned, melted, and turned into pellets to form new plastics.
- Textile waste – old clothes can be recycled by being shredded into polyester chips or the fibres cleaned, separated, and spun back into yarn.
- WEEE waste – electronic products are normally broken down into their component parts, which are recycled based on their materials (such as metals and plastics).
Bins for shops
and shopping centres
Bins commonly used in shops and shopping centres vary depending on their size, the types and amount of waste produced. For large shopping centres that receive lots of deliveries, 1100 litre wheelie bins are popular (the largest available) to store general waste, cardboard, and dry mixed recycling.
To compress the likes of cardboard and paper, large supermarkets and shopping centres may also use a compactor or baler (if they have space). For smaller shops and retailers, standard two-wheel bins are common to safely store various waste types. All retailers require general waste bins in one or more sizes too.
Explore some of the commonly used retail waste bins.
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240L wheelie bin
A standard two-wheel bin that can be used for just food or glass waste, or general waste and recyclables.
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1100L wheelie bin
The largest four-wheel bin available to store general waste, dry mixed recycling, and other waste types.
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Balers
These large bins compact recyclable waste of the same type, such as paper, cardboard, and plastic, to save space.
Retail waste
collection
Arrange retail waste collections with Business Waste wherever your shop, supermarket, or store is in the UK. We cover the whole country and provide retail waste management services to organisations of all sizes – from city centre clothes stores to the local village shop.
Enjoy free bins delivered to your retail outlet – you just pay for collection. Ensure you have an accessible point and enough space for delivery and storage of the bins you need. Then arrange retail waste pickup and our licensed waste carriers will collect at an agreed time and date.
You can arrange retail waste collections on a daily, weekly, or fortnightly schedule. These are flexible too, as we realise the impact seasonality has on the retail industry especially. After retail waste pickup, our drivers will transport your rubbish to a nearby facility for appropriate disposal.
Get a free quote from a retail waste expert by speaking to one of our friendly team. They can advise on the bins and collection schedules suited to your organisation and answer any questions you have. Contact us online or call 0800 211 8390 today.
How does retail
waste collection work?
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Select your free dumpsters
It’s quick and easy to organise commercial waste collection for your business.
Simply start by telling us the:
- Type of trash you need removing
- Size of dumpsters you require
- Number of dumpsters you want
We’ll provide you with a free quote.
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Arrange delivery
When you’re happy with the type, number, and size of free dumpsters, tell us when you need your dumpsters delivering.
Let us know about any access issues where you want the dumpsters delivering – such as locked gates, access codes and times. We’ll get you up and running in no time.
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Fill up your dumpster
After the free dumpsters arrive at your chosen location, fill them up with the agreed trash type.
Make sure you remain within any weight limits for the specific waste type and bin size.
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Get your business waste collected
We’ll arrange waste collection at a time and frequency to suit you and the amount of waste you have.
As featured in…
Retail waste
regulations
In 1997, the Packaging Waste Regulations were introduced in the UK. The new regulations stated that retail businesses must meet the requirements of the European Directive for packaging waste. The regulations were introduced to encourage businesses to increase their use of recyclable packaging and decrease the amount of packaging they use.
In 2015, the UK government introduced new waste regulations that asked businesses to separate their recyclable materials from non-recyclable materials. For example, businesses are required to have separate bins for their paper, plastic, and glass waste. These regulations were introduced to help UK retailers to increase their recycling efforts.
What types of waste
are generated at retail sites?
Waste in the retail industry varies as retailers handle all sorts of products, most of which include packaging. Retail stores often specialise in particular products – some deal with clothing, while others focus on foodstuff, and some do both (depending on the business’ size). Food waste in retail is a key focus area.
Some of the main types of waste generated at retail sites include but are not limited to:
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Packaging waste
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Food waste
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Plastic waste
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Cardboard waste
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Glass waste
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Metal waste
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Textile waste
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WEEE waste
Retail waste
FAQs
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What is a retail site waste management plan?
Every UK business needs a waste management plan. For shops and stores, a retail waste management plan ensures all rubbish is disposed of correctly and ensures efficient waste management systems are in place. A waste management system can identify areas where you create excess refuse to reduce the amount of retail waste going to landfill.
Site waste management plans (SWMPs) were introduced to reduce the amount of waste businesses produce. Retailers use SWMPs to plan how any waste they generate is managed. A SWMP contains important information such as what waste needs to be recycled, disposed of, or reused, and how the business will do so. The plan must be regularly updated to ensure it accurately reflects the waste needs and obligations of a business.
Technically, there’s no legal requirement for a retail business to have a SWMP. However, introducing and maintaining one has many benefits. For example, a business can reduce costs by planning the most efficient waste management systems and increase their profits by using a SWMP to look at where they can reduce waste.
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How can you reduce retail waste?
Reducing retail waste is important to help the environment and save your business money. There are a few ways a retail business can cut the amount of rubbish produced. To reduce retail waste, you can try:
- Analysing sales patterns to avoid over-purchasing products
- Reducing packaging and single-use plastics
- Making processes digital and reducing paper use
- Reusing plastic crates instead of cardboard boxes
- Returning used clothes hangers to the supplier for reuse or recycling
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How much waste is produced by the retail industry?
The amount of waste in the retail industry is hard to quantify as it covers a range of different types and encompasses all sorts of businesses. One progress report claims that 280,000 tonnes of retail food waste are produced each year in the UK. However, there are still large amounts of packaging and other waste generated in retail too – which doesn’t all get recycled.
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Why is it important for retail shops to have green credentials?
In today’s world, businesses face increasing pressure to ‘go green’ and create sustainable business models. This pressure isn’t just from the government but also from consumers. Today’s consumer is interested in the sustainability of a product and will avoid retail shops that have a reputation for treating the environment poorly.
A retail shop with a positive green reputation is seen as trustworthy by the consumer. They can build a positive reputation easily. Plus, you’ll have a more positive impact in protecting the future of our planet and reduce the landfill tax you pay in the process.
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Does your retail outfit need a recycling baler?
A recycling baler is a common bin used by many retailers. The benefits of using a recycling baler include streamlining your waste management system, as waste will be compressed into a bale that’s easily stored. This frees up valuable space for storage and transportation.
Read our full guide to balers for more information.
Get a fast, free quote for retail waste removal
Get a fast FREE quote for your retail waste collections
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of retail waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK