"We recycle 95% of what we collect" is a claim a lot of firms make. Here is what actually happens to a load after it leaves your property.
Sorting
Loads are sorted at a licensed transfer station rather than tipped as mixed waste. Wood, metal, cardboard, plastics, electricals and inert materials are separated into their own streams, each with its own onward route.
Reuse comes first
Furniture, appliances and household goods still in usable condition are passed on for reuse or donated locally. Reuse beats recycling on every environmental measure, so anything serviceable is kept out of the sorting line entirely.
The specialist routes
- Fridges and freezers: degassed at a licensed facility before the metal and plastics are recovered
- Mattresses: shredded so springs, foam and textiles are separated and recycled
- Electricals: handled under WEEE rules
- Rubble and hardcore: crushed and reused as aggregate
- Wood: chipped for board manufacture or biomass
Why the paperwork matters
By law you remain responsible for your waste even after someone else takes it. If it is fly-tipped, the fine can follow you. Always check the carrier's licence number — ours is CBDL645216 — and keep the waste transfer note we issue for every collection.