Bulky Waste Collection – Croydon City Council

If your household has unwanted bulky items and you’re wondering how to get rid of them, then you have a few options at your disposal!

We explain what exactly ‘bulky’ items are and the different ways in which you can safely dispose of them including local council collections and why in some circumstances, hiring a skip might be the best solution.

What is bulky waste?

Domestic waste comes in all types and sizes from garden waste to old fridge freezers and carpets.

‘Bulky waste’ is defined as any item or material that you want to discard from the home that cannot be sold, given away or that won’t fit in your general waste collection bin.

Some of these items include but are not limited to: 

• Furniture
• Household appliances 
• Bicycles
• Carpets
• Beds/mattresses
• Packaging
• DIY rubble
• Kitchen units
• Fence panels
• Etc 

Council bulky waste collection service

One option for disposing of your bulky waste is to use your local council’s collection service. All councils have a statutory obligation to receive bulky waste (except for trade waste) from domestic households at no cost to you, however, there is usually a small fee involved as they are entitled to charge a reasonable fee to cover the collection and transportation.

Whilst they don’t collect any trade waste this definition also extends to domestic waste that is associated with home improvements and demolition work such as rubble and old kitchens etc. This type of waste can’t be taken to your local dump and must be disposed of at commercial waste facilities who will charge a fee based on the weight of the trade waste.

This means that if you’re just disposing of a few bulky items then a council bulky waste collection service is probably a cheaper option compared to using a private waste disposal or collection service.

However, there are some downsides to using the council service. These include: 

• Long wait times for collections
• Waste usually must be left on the front of your property – this can cause an eye saw for you and your neighbours or you may not have a frontage at all! 
• Certain items and materials associated with home renovations are prohibited 

You should firstly contact your local council to find out some of these details and what specific waste items they will collect. Below we take a look at the process and a few details of Croydon Council and other local councils’ bulk waste collection services.

Croydon Council – Bulky Waste Collection

Croydon Council’s bulky waste service collects large, discarded items that cannot be recycled or brought to their reuse and recycling centres.

Fees:

They charge a fee that is in line with other London boroughs to collect your bulky waste.

Their collection service runs throughout the year and the fees are:

£33.05 for 1 – 3 items

£54.37 for 4 – 6 items

Accepted bulky waste:

You need to pack all items together and place them on the front of your property or in an easy-to-access location which you must specify on the request form.

They can collect a broad range of household items but they must all be listed on the request form and must be able to be transferred to the collection vehicle by no more than two personnel.

They don’t collect:

They don’t accept any hazardous waste such as asbestos, chemicals, tyres etc. In addition, they won’t accept any garden waste, trade waste and items that could be reused or recycled such as car batteries, baths, windows etc.

Merton Council – Bulky Waste Collection

Merton Council’s bulky waste service collects large, discarded items that cannot be recycled or brought to their reuse and recycling centres.

They only collect on weekdays excluding public holidays. They can’t specify a time that the waste will be collected from your home.

If you aren’t up to date with your council tax payments, then you won’t be eligible to use this service. 

Fees:

They charge a fee that is in line with other London boroughs to collect your bulky waste.

You must pay in full at the time of booking and the fees are:

£32 for up to 3 items

£52.50 for 4 – 6 items

Accepted bulky waste:

You need to leave all items together and place them within the limit of your property and not on public property. If there are soft furnishings, then they must be covered to stop them from getting wet.

They can collect a broad range of household items, including large electrical appliances and carpet rolls but they must all be listed on the request form to be collected in one go.

They don’t collect:

They don’t accept any hazardous, DIY or trade waste such as asbestos, chemicals, rubble, plasterboard, fence panels etc.

Other London borough councils have a similar process, rules and fees, however, there are some subtle differences, so it is always best to check your local council website for the most up-to-date details that apply in your area.

Conclusion

If you are looking for the most cost-effective way to dispose of lots of different waste, then the best solution may be to use your local council’s bulky waste collection service for some of the waste that they will collect and then hire a waste contractor or a skip for the remaining items. 

Alternatively, and depending on the waste you have, it might be best to just hire a local skip from the outset. This is a simple cost-effective solution for disposing of different types of bulky and messy waste from the home. The skip acts as a central place for all the waste, keeping your property tidy and safe.

For more information and advice about hiring a skip and choosing the right size for the job in hand, take a look at London’s leading skip hire company, ProSkips website and their dedicated Croydon skip hire page here.