General Waste Collection

Any waste that you generate at home or at work that can’t be recycled is considered general waste, everything from food scraps and non-recyclable plastic to non-hazardous materials. If rubbish can’t be recycled and isn’t hazardous, it’s usually classified as being general waste.

This includes the likes of wet wipes, cleaning cloths, sponges, food packaging, wrappers, cling film, non-compostable food waste and so on. It doesn’t include chemical or medical waste, or any hazardous items.

Understanding the different types of general waste will help you see what can be recycled and what can’t, streamlining your waste disposal and helping you to fulfil your legal obligations as a business.

General waste includes:

Metals
Metals that can’t be easily recycled are considered to be general waste, such as pots and pans, wire coat hangers and so on.

Food wrappers
Feel free to throw the likes of sweet and crisp packets in the general waste bin, as well as tin foil, chocolate bar wrappers and more.

Plastics
It can be confusing knowing what plastic can and can’t be recycled, but everything from cling film and plastic-based wrapping paper to blister packets and packaging can go in your general waste stream. If you need any advice relating to plastic waste disposal, get in touch with the SwiftSwitch team and we can answer any questions you might have.

Cleaning materials
Everything from non-hazardous cleaning materials to cleaning cloths, paper towels and wet wipes can go in your general waste stream.

You’ll be pleased to hear that general waste collection and disposal is for everyone! Regardless of whether you’re a giant multinational conglomerate or a small family-run business, your general waste and rubbish output will surely start to build up if you don’t keep on top of it.

But, of course, it can be very difficult to manage waste responsibly and ensure that it’s cleared regularly when you’re busy running your actual business if you don’t have the help of an experienced and professional waste disposal service supporting you every step of the way.

You have a legal responsibility to ensure that your general waste is disposed of properly and responsibly, in such a way that won’t impact the environment.

A waste transfer note is required for every load that leaves your business premises – but as a registered waste carrier we can take care of all the hard work for you, so you can focus on the more important aspects of running your company.

It’s important that you do your best to separate your general waste streams to ensure that as much as possible of it can be destroyed, rather than going to landfill sites and causing all sorts of environmental damage as a result.

To dispose of general waste, balers and compactors are used to compress it and reduce it in size so it takes up less space in landfill. Rubbish can also be taken to general waste incinerators to prevent it from going to landfill, but in this instance environmental damage can also occur because burning releases toxic chemicals as a result.

Some sites are able to turn domestic and commercial general waste into fuel, however, converting it to energy and using it in place of fossil fuels in power plants. If you’re keen to boost your green credentials as a business, this would be a good way to reduce your impact on the planet.