Lockdown restrictions are easing and subsequently many tips across the UK are reopening, but with widespread queues, it might be worth looking at alternative ways to dispose of your waste.
Homeowners are understandably keen to dispose of waste accrued during lockdown, and many have the same idea. Tips are reopening under social distancing measures, and the race is on to join the queues.
There has been a myriad of reports this week of staggering queues in Leicester, Derby, Bristol and Hull, among other cities. In some cities, people were left queuing for up to three hours, while police have had to shut down queues when recycling centre capacity has been reached.
This had led to councils and police forces taking action to urge caution when travelling to recycling sites. Hull City Council committed to collecting more bulky items from residents’ homes, while Derbyshire police took to Twitter earlier this week to warn drivers about what to expect.
If you are planning a trip to the tip, here’s some ways to avoid wasting your day in queues, and instead remove your waste in a more efficient way.
Hire a Skip
Many skip hire companies have been operational during lockdown, including SkipHire and Biffa; so too has skip cost comparison site Skip Hire Comparison. Delays may be expected due to high demand and delays in fulfilling orders, but if you don’t urgently need to remove your waste, this delay is likely preferable to queuing all morning for the tip. Plus, it’s an ideal means of getting rid of sizeable amounts of waste.
Hire a Skip/Strong Bag
Skip bag services are ideal for smaller amounts of waste such as garden waste, soil and rubble, as well as waste from DIY tasks. Contact-free delivery and collection companies such as Hippo Waste, Clearabee Skip Bag, Just Clear and Skipbag will deliver a strong bag to your house and collect it from your driveway once it’s full. On average, a 90cm x 90cm x 90cm bag will cost £110-£135, delivered and collected from your home.
Make the Most of Your Space
Many of us are probably guilty of not making the most of the space in our rubbish bins. Make sure you break down as many items as possible, and aim to use every square centimeter of space you have.
Try Composting
Most garden waste and much kitchen waste can be composted – which is the breakdown of organic materials by organisms that convert it into an earth-like mass, which can then be used as a soil conditioner. Some civic amenity centres accept organic materials (you can use large tubs to collect the waste), or use the composting bin provided by your local authority’, if you have one (many local authorities provide these at subsidised rates, although some are free).
Be Creative With Building Waste
Try being creative with surplus building materials. Not only does recycling, reusing and repurposing old items have environmental benefits, but it can help you save money by maximising the life of materials.
For example, you could:
- Use whole bricks and blocks elsewhere – they could potentially be used to create an outdoor barbeque, raised paving or garden path
- ‘Clean’ crushed and broken materials such as concrete slabs, rubble and ceramics as hardcore for landscaping purposes (hardcore essentially refers to a gravelly mix that can be used to create a level base for heavy load-bearing surfaces). You can also keep clean hardcore for use beneath patios
- Use any clean wood in a woodburner, and use offcuts or shavings to make a bird table or another garden ornament.