Glass question

[markw]

Keith's comment about the necessity to have a trade waste agreement is very important and I dont think I had appreciated the importance of that piece of paper. We all have reason to comply with these regulations - a hefty fine being a fairly major reason.

Like Keith I will have all the necessary documentation to prove my compliance of waste disposal legislation. Those that are caught illegally dumping could well be in for a nasty shock when asked to prove how they have been disposing of their trade waste over the last few years of business ( I think the Trade waste agreements have been in operation for five or so years - You have to keep the agreement in your records for 2 years.)

I do however think that trade waste disposal has been made difficult for smaller businesses who produce very little waste. The fact that picture framing glass is seen as a difficult waste product adds to the problem. Local authorities should be addressing this problem in a positive way so that smaller businesses can legitimise the way they dispose of small quantities of waste.

[Trigger]

I can't agree strongly enough with the last two posts.

As a business we have waste agreements in place and we HAVE been asked to show them when the Environment Agency did a spot check. Don't be surprised if they just knock on your door without warning, it is exactly what they did to us.

We currently have one general waste bin, glass recycling bin emptied by the same company and cardboard bin. All of these are emptied fortnightly and don't cost us a fortune. The recycling bins cost less than the landfill bin because of the landfill tax. We give away offcuts, woodchips etc as and when we can which reduces this all down a bit.

We use our work van as our family vehicle as well (6 seats, very comfy) and we do get looked at very carefully when we go to any of the local tips. The guys working there aren't stupid and there is also CCTV, so don't be surprised if you are being logged and are suddenly checked up on.

Anybody producing trade waste, even if you are working from home, has a legal duty to get these agreements in place and there have been enough horror stories in the press to show that the jobsworths aren't going away anytime soon.

Our trade waste firm is happy to do even once a month pick ups with bins of various sizes available so I can't really see why there would be a problem with anyone getting the right paperwork in place. We pay less than £6 per bin empty for recyling and less than £8 for trade waste each fortnight - offset that against your time bundling all this stuff up and driving it to the tip plus the threat of a large fine and it is a bit of a no brainer really.

[Tim]

This thread has raised an interesting point. The only commercial waste I cannot deal with myself is glass (see my earlier post), yet I'm now being painted as some kind of social pariah because I dispose of it carefully, and in a way that causes minimum effort on behalf of the local council.

I am, however, usually fairly consciencious about these things, so I've just spent a fruitless hour talking to East Yorkshire Council, then Waste Recycling Group, then www.wasteonline.org.uk and lastly Berryman Glass Recycling. The ONLY questions I was trying to get an answer to were these

1 How much will it cost to dispose of a wheelie bin full of broken flat glass once every two months or so.
2 Will the glass be recycled or just go to landfill
3 Can I take this glass to our domestic waste recycling centre (it's easily small enough to fit in my car)

Guess how many of these questions I got an answer to, despite talking to at least two people (the receptionist and then whichever 'responsible' person I was transferred to) in each company/location.

I'll let you know if I get any helpful information later......but I'm not holding my breath.

Maybe I'll just build a furnace and take up glass blowing as a new hobby, since my old hobby's now my main occupation

Tim

[prospero]

I have had similar experiences Tim. The Powers That Be seem have a built-in CYA mentality. Can't get a straight answer nohow. Very good at telling you what you can't do, but not so good at telling you what you can.

[stcstc]

i have a commercial bin collection service and glass is allowed int eh green recyling bins i have, which dont cost anything

all my offcuts of glass and boards go in it

[ShaggyDog]

This is the first time that I have heard of commercial waste for small business - and I'll get one set up. Thanks for all the comments, it's been an entertaining read

[Jo]

I get my glass from the Leamington depot of Wessex since they merged with Glass & Mirror, and they don't offer the recycling service anymore. My offcuts are building up again....

[Merlin]

Wessex SW do not offer a recycling option for Glass either.

[ShaggyDog]

As a follow up to this post I contacted the head refuse man at my local council who explained all about waste agreements with suitable firms, for which I would have to pay a hundred pounds or so before any waste was collected, plus the cost of getting a company to come and take it away. He then mentioned that I could, of course, take it to the local tip myself, hand them a Waste Transfer Note and as long as I had a high visability jacket, a hard hat and a pair of steel toes boots I could dump my rubbish myself. My car is weighed as I go in and when I come out and my first charge was £20 for up to 160kg of waste. I don't produce much, and the full boot of my car came to just over 40kg. I mentioned that the waste included glass, and there was no problem with that. At present this seems to be the most economical method for me, a small home based framer who doesn't produce too much waste.

[Gesso&Bole]

It is amazing how it varies from one place to another. In Derby City centre, I was worried that it would be a problem, but so long as I put the glass in a strong box, tape it up, and mark it GLASS then the bin men are happy to take it - same goes for used blades - in an old jam jar, in with the glass. And all of the other waste taken with (so far) no grumpy faces, or complaints that there is too much - and all for about £6 + VAT per week. Happy days . . . .