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Reuse and Recycling

As part of our Waste Strategy and the Carbon Neutral Action Plan, we encourage residents to prevent items being disposed of that could be reused, repurposed, or recycled, and often people are happy to come to your home to collect them. Before booking a bulky waste collection, check if your bulky items can be…

Sold?

The demand for second-hand items is booming, with people taking part in “buy nothing new” challenges, and the opportunity to save money and live more sustainably. If your items are of good quality, there are many online marketplaces to buy and sell items in your local area.


Donated?

Alternatively, give your good quality items to a charity or organisation that can either sell or use the items you no longer need or want and support a good cause whilst reducing waste.

  • Furniture Project Nottinghamshire  take donations of furniture, textiles, electrical items, and kitchen appliances, providing they are in a re-usable condition. They will pick them up for free and give them to people and families in times of need.
  • Haven Housing Trust is a Nottingham charity that can accept donations of good, clean furniture and household items and arrange a free collection.
  • British Heart Foundation can collect furniture and electrical items.

Offered for free?

Upcycling furniture has become a popular hobby and side-business for many - why not use the buy and sell platforms to offer your items for free? Even if they are old, damaged, or out of fashion, people are on the hunt for items to repair, update, and refresh, and give a new home to. This is a huge opportunity to reduce how much we throw away.

Please don’t leave items on pavements hoping someone else will take them – this is fly-tipping and can lead to a fine of £300 if a bulky waste collection has not been arranged.

  • Freecycle and Freegle are websites where you can list items you’re giving away for free, and of course, see what items others no longer need!
  • Facebook Marketplace also has an option to list items for free.

Disposing of bigger items from your home that do not fit into your bin

If items need to be disposed of because they can’t be reused or recycled, then you can either take them to the Household Waste & Recycling Centre for free disposal, or pay a small fee for them to be collected for disposal:

Bulky waste collection costs

  • Collections cost £25 for up to 6 household items*, such as a sofa, bed, mattress, wardrobe, chair and table.
  • Collections cost £50 for 7-12 items, with a maximum of 6 POPs items and 6 household items per booking.
  • Electrical Items collections cost £10 for the first item then £7.50 for each additional item.

*Free collection for Council Tax Support

Residents receiving Council Tax Support are entitled to one free collection of up to 6 bulky items every financial year (12 months from April) by entering their council tax reference number when booking a collection. This does not include electrical items, or households only receiving single occupancy discount or with council tax exemption.

Electrical items

Small electrical items that fit in a wheeled bin can be recycled for free at our local drop-off points across the city, and any sized item at the recycling centre. Electrical items can contain precious metals that are important to recover, and lithium in rechargeable items are explosive when crushed in collection vehicles, so it’s important to keep electricals out of household bins and recycle them correctly.

When we collect your items

We run three different vehicles to collect white goods, upholstered seating, and other bulky and electrical items. This means that your items may be collected by more than one vehicle, and not at the same time or on the same day.


What can/can’t be collected

We are able to collect a wide range of items that do not fit in your wheeled bin, but there are certain items that we are unable to collect.

 

Items 

Explanation

  • Items removed from properties by private landlords
  • Business or commercial waste
  • Car Parts
  • Car Tyres

If a business or landlord made the waste, it must not be disposed of through this service. Doing so is against the law.

Contact a commercial waste company to dispose of these items.

These items are hazardous with legal requirements on how to dispose of them.

You can take some of these items to your local tip at Redfield Road, Lenton.

  • Construction materials such as bricks, rubble, tiles, plasterboard, soil.
  • Windows, doors, large panes of glass
These items can damage our machinery. You can take some of these items to your local tip at Redfield Road, Lenton, or hire a skip if you have a larger quantity.
  • Household waste that should go in your general, recycling or garden bin

This service is for large items of household waste that either do not fit in the bin (e.g. furniture) or cannot be put out for your regular bin collection (e.g. a microwave)

Smaller items of household waste, recycling and garden waste can be disposed of in your usual bin collections. Electricals should always be recycled at a dedicated disposal point.

 


Book a Bulky Waste Collection

Completing this service should take around 5 minutes.

To complete this service you will need.

  • List of bulky waste items
  • Your address
  • Your contact details
  • Your council tax reference number if you receive council tax support and have not already booked a free bulky waste collection this in the last 12 months

Upholstered items and POP’s

Due to new regulations, upholstered seating such as sofas and chairs will be collected on a different vehicle from any other items, as they may contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP's) from flame retardant treatments, and can’t be mixed with other waste items.
You can book collections for up to 6 POP’s items, OR up to 6 non-POP’s items, for £25 per collection. Two different crews will come to collect your POP’s and non-POP’s items, even if you have paid for them at the same time.

There are a few things you should know before you begin:

  • Collections cost £25 for up to 6 household items, such as a bed frame, mattress, wardrobe, wooden chair and table.
  • Collections cost £25 for up to 6 POP’s household items, such as a sofa, armchair, footstall, and upholstered chair.
  • Electrical Items collections cost £12 for the first item then £7.50 for each additional item.
  • We strongly encourage you to donate or sell any items that could be reused, repaired, or upcycled instead of disposed of.

If you are in receipt of Council Tax Support you will be entitled to 1 free collection of up to 6 household items per 12 months, which can be non-POP’s or upholstered POP’s. This does not apply to electrical collections

Book a Bulky Waste Collection

Using a private waste collection service 

If you pay someone else to collect or dispose of your waste, you have a duty of care to ensure they dispose of it legally. Always check that they have a valid Waste Carriers Licence and ask for a receipt when they take your waste. If you’re offered a price that seems too good to be true, there’s a good chance your waste will be fly-tipped. If this happens, you are liable for the fine and may be prosecuted. 

Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers (data.gov.uk)

Cancelling a Collection

If you need to cancel your bulky waste collection, please follow the instructions in the booking confirmation email.

Contact us

Waste Collection
Eastcroft Depot
London Road
Nottingham
NG2 3AH

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