Commercial waste

Purple-Vintage

Free Member
Apr 21, 2011
54
0
Hi there,, Just need a bit of advice really.

We are a real believer in using waste to create things or reuse.

I am a sole trader and have no staff working for me. I don't need a rubbish bin as dont really get any rubbish apart from the fluff we get from the floor (its a wooden floor) What can I do with this as it doesnt even fill a carrier bag at the moment. Also if i bring an apple to work can i take the core home to put on my compost heap/plants?

We have about 2 boxes of clothes delivered a month and sometimes they come in a bin liner , both of which are reused for either storage, sending out items or as a stiffner in the bottom of carrier bags or paper mache in my craft projects.

I bring sandwiches to work in my lunchbox so no bags etc.

Any post i get i shred and use if i sent items out in post.

We have been open 2 months and so far when i sweep up the floor we have mainly fluff which i have put to one side. DO i wait for this to build up and then ask for a one off collection? DO you do pre paid bin liners? There is no storage for a bin.

Any advice would be welcome... or if you can think of a way of reusing fluff that would be even better :)

OOh and as i start my diet i may have the odd yoghurt pot. Still wont be enough to fill a bin liner each week.
 
Last edited:

mhall

Free Member
Sep 8, 2009
2,520
1,117
Midlands
I can't decide if you are being serious or not.

I would say not but my sister got fined for putting "commercial waste in public waste bins" - she ran a tanning shop and was caught on CCTV putting 4 empty sachets of tanning cream (the size of a shampoo sachet) into the bin outside her shop. She wouldn't have minded but the customers had bought the sachets in themselves.

I would advise to take the stuff home and chuck it in your bin there, bearing in mind it's illegal to do so and the councils wants to make as much money as they can.
 
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Purple-Vintage

Free Member
Apr 21, 2011
54
0
Thanks for reply, yes Im being serious in asking if you can pay for one off collections and that we dont have enough waste to warrant a regular collection.

You say you would advise to take home, but I dont want to do that as i want to keep things strictly above board to be honest. I was just wondering if there was another option other than regular collections, but thanks for advice anyway.

Sorry about your sis. That seems a bit rough :(
 
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Purple-Vintage

Free Member
Apr 21, 2011
54
0
Just been onto the council and they say we cant throw away at home, but ok to take lunch scraps as apple cores home for compost heap...

Thanks for saying about the wormery. Just looked at this for composting
(link below) and it says as you say vaccuum fluff can be used on composts.

Its the fluff off floors from clothes like vacuum dust and the odd hair etc.

Didnt realise at first there was a cost involved for rubbish collection!! Thought like council tax you were entitled to a bin with business rates so was trying to be green and think it would take more petrol to collect a small bag every month than its worth but think I will compost it. They offer a pay per bag but its 50 bin liner size a year. Id never use one collection a week.

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Sat...=BCC/Common/Wrapper/CFWrapper&rendermode=live
 
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Purple-Vintage

Free Member
Apr 21, 2011
54
0
Tomp, lol no its not the only thing, but doing things by the book and not worrying about getting fined like some people do makes me more efficient thanks :)

Its the little things that people dont act on that can make their businesses go bust..like getting a huge fine for not disposing of "fluff" correctly.

i agree its petty, but its the councils rules not mine :(
 
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H

helenthemum

You can have one off collections. I have about 9 a year.
I buy 25 bags at a time costing around £60 and then have to pay £40+vat for the controlled waste transfer note.

I can't get rid of my commercial waste at home as I live next door to my shop and the bin men every so often check my rubbish bags!!!!

The wormery sounds like your best bet, very good idea and very eco friendly.
 
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KateCB

Free Member
May 11, 2006
2,273
539
Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Sadly the business rates cover very little - certainly not waste collection!

We pay £400 a year for a bin the size of perhaps 3xwheelie bins - it is emptied every week, however it was not filled every week, so we came to an arrangement with our neighbours and the council that we would share the bin and the cost.....perhaps you have neighbours you could do the same with?
 
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mhall

Free Member
Sep 8, 2009
2,520
1,117
Midlands
I'm still shaking my head at this thread.

Take it home, make sure the council find out, then get loads of publicity highlighting the fact that the council are a bunch of jobsworths worrying about half a bag of fluff. Fantastic photo opportunity and I can almost guarantee front page news !

I certainly wish my sister had done that !
 
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