Dispose of household waste

Your household waste must be disposed of correctly. If you’re giving it to someone else, you must make sure that they’re legally allowed to take it.

You could be fined if you give your household waste to someone who is not legally allowed to take it.

What counts as household waste

Household waste is any waste that comes from your household. It can include:

  • your usual household rubbish

  • unwanted or unusable items such as old mattresses, furniture or electrical items

  • garden waste

  • oils and paints

  • scrap metal such as old car parts

  • septic tank sludge

  • DIY waste such as rubble, timber or bricks

What to do with household waste

Most household waste can go in the bins provided by your local council.

Go to your council’s website to check:

  • what kind of household waste your council will collect
  • how to order a new bin - if you need one
  • your bin collection day

Find your local council’s website.

Your council may provide other waste collection services, such as:

  • collection of recycling, garden waste or food waste
  • special collections for large waste items - for example, sofas or fridges

You can check what services your council provides by going to their website.

Find your local council’s website.

If your local council will not collect your waste

You can:

  • take your waste to your local recycling centre (or ‘tip’) - find a recycling centre by checking on your council’s website

  • take your waste to a permitted private waste site

  • use a registered private business that provides a waste collection service - for example, a skip company or household clearance service

  • give old electrical items to retailers when you buy new electrical items from them with the same function - for example, you can give a shop your old kettle when you buy a new one

  • give away or sell reusable items - for example, by giving items to a charity shop

Checks you need to do if you use a private waste company

What you need to do depends on if you’re:

  • using someone else to get rid of your waste, for example, a skip company or house clearance service
  • getting rid of your waste yourself

If someone is getting rid of your waste for you

If you use a private business that provides a waste collection service, you must check the company is on the register of waste carriers. You need to select ‘upper tier’.

There’s a different way to check a company is a:

If you’re giving your waste to a scrap metal collector, you can also check that they’re on the register of scrap metal dealers.

If you arrange for a charity to collect items, you must check the charity is on the register of waste carriers. You need to select ‘lower tier’.

If you’re getting rid of your waste yourself

If you’re taking your waste to a private waste site, you must check the site has either:

  • an environmental permit for waste operations
  • a registered waste exemption

Ask the company that runs the site for their permit number or exemption registration number. Check the number against:

Alternatively, do a check through your local council or the Environment Agency.

Environment Agency
enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Telephone: 03708 506 506
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

Fixed penalty notices and fines

If you give your waste to someone who cannot legally take it and you did not do the necessary checks on them, you might:

  • have to pay a ‘fixed penalty notice’ to your local council
  • be prosecuted and have to pay a higher penalty - for example, if you do not pay your penalty notice on time or if you’ve previously had a penalty notice for a similar offence

This could happen, for example, if something that has been fly-tipped (dumped illegally) is identified as yours.

Using a tradesperson

If you hire a tradesperson for construction or renovation work, any waste they produce is classed as business waste. Your tradesperson is responsible for removing the waste and disposing of it correctly.

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