Going to the dump, and van sizes
Discussion
I went car free when the London ULEZ expanded in 2023. Being without a car worked out much better than I thought it would (although now Zip car has ceased operations, so we'll see), but the one big drawback I've found so far is trips to the local dump.
I'm about to do a big clearout which will include some old IKEA wardrobes and I can't sneak those into the weekly rubbish collection. I figured I'd just hire a van, but having checked the council's requirement they only allow "small vans';
Having checked Ford's website it turns out even their smallest van, the Transit Courier (which I think is also a VW Caddy) exceeds those loadspace dimensions (only just).
I assume the council will be flexible if I turn up in a Transit Courier or similar but I don't want to find out they're inflexible with a load of cut up wardrobes in the back. Does anyone know of a small van that meets those restrictions, or am I going to have to spend more to hire a Golf/Focus sized hatchback.
Alternatively, are there companies who will collect this kind of household waste for less than the price of hire car (£50 for a van, £80 for a car. God I miss Zipcar).
I'm about to do a big clearout which will include some old IKEA wardrobes and I can't sneak those into the weekly rubbish collection. I figured I'd just hire a van, but having checked the council's requirement they only allow "small vans';
Having checked Ford's website it turns out even their smallest van, the Transit Courier (which I think is also a VW Caddy) exceeds those loadspace dimensions (only just).
I assume the council will be flexible if I turn up in a Transit Courier or similar but I don't want to find out they're inflexible with a load of cut up wardrobes in the back. Does anyone know of a small van that meets those restrictions, or am I going to have to spend more to hire a Golf/Focus sized hatchback.
Alternatively, are there companies who will collect this kind of household waste for less than the price of hire car (£50 for a van, £80 for a car. God I miss Zipcar).
Rules vary from county to county.
Helped a mate in Cornwall last year, any van was OK if if was a retail hire for less than 7 days.
The small print of their rules ban trailers over 5ft internal length, in Devon, we're allowed 3m!
It's bonkers, clearing out some stuff from an inlaw's shed in Bristol, it was easier to hire a van and bring the rubbish down west!
Do the council do a bulky refuse scheme? I think in Bristol you can get a 'skip bag' or something for a reasonable fee, they collect after a week or something?
A lot of stuff goes on FB marketplace for free or a quid, your old furniture might become shelves in someone's garage and everyone is happy?
Helped a mate in Cornwall last year, any van was OK if if was a retail hire for less than 7 days.
The small print of their rules ban trailers over 5ft internal length, in Devon, we're allowed 3m!
It's bonkers, clearing out some stuff from an inlaw's shed in Bristol, it was easier to hire a van and bring the rubbish down west!
Do the council do a bulky refuse scheme? I think in Bristol you can get a 'skip bag' or something for a reasonable fee, they collect after a week or something?
A lot of stuff goes on FB marketplace for free or a quid, your old furniture might become shelves in someone's garage and everyone is happy?
Check if your local council do bulk waste collections.
If you "do" Facebook ask on there in local groups
Just be aware that some may offer to get rid of your rubbish & dump it round the corner.
I'd also factor in to cost of hiring a vehicle, time & effort of collecting, returning & fuel?
If you "do" Facebook ask on there in local groups
Just be aware that some may offer to get rid of your rubbish & dump it round the corner.
I'd also factor in to cost of hiring a vehicle, time & effort of collecting, returning & fuel?
OutInTheShed said:
It's bonkers, clearing out some stuff from an inlaw's shed in Bristol, it was easier to hire a van and bring the rubbish down west!
Tell me about it! My nearest council dump was just inside the original ULEZ which meant it cost me £12.50 to drive the last 50 metres. Being close to the M3 meant it was faster to drive to the Woking council dump 30 miles away. That was fine for the odd bag a few years ago, but trying this seems the wrong side of cheeky. OutInTheShed said:
Do the council do a bulky refuse scheme? I think in Bristol you can get a 'skip bag' or something for a reasonable fee, they collect after a week or something?
Shaw Tarse said:
Check if your local council do bulk waste collections.
Hadn't thought about that. Turns out they do a "bulky item" collection service. It's about £90 for up to 6 items. I want to get rid of two wardrobes, but they have to be broken down so I can get them out of the flat, hopefully that will count as two items and not 20.OutInTheShed said:
A lot of stuff goes on FB marketplace for free or a quid, your old furniture might become shelves in someone's garage and everyone is happy?
Shaw Tarse said:
If you "do" Facebook ask on there in local groups
Don't do facebook, but I might stick them on a site like freecycle a couple of weeks before I need them gone and see what happens. I did look at some collection services but they don't seem to be much cheaper than the council's bulk item service.At the moment the small van at £50 for the day and using the council dump still seems like the best option, I'll have to ask the council how lenient their small vans policy is. I suspect the newest small vans have been updated to create as much load space as possible and the council's guidelines havn't been updated. Would be madness if a Transit Courier can't use the dump because the loadspace is 10cm to long, and 6cm to high.
GoodDoc said:
Don't do facebook, but I might stick them on a site like freecycle a couple of weeks before I need them gone and see what happens. I did look at some collection services but they don't seem to be much cheaper than the council's bulk item service.
At the moment the small van at £50 for the day and using the council dump still seems like the best option, I'll have to ask the council how lenient their small vans policy is. I suspect the newest small vans have been updated to create as much load space as possible and the council's guidelines havn't been updated. Would be madness if a Transit Courier can't use the dump because the loadspace is 10cm to long, and 6cm to high.
Freecycle and local Facebook groups worked really well for us (also in London) for getting rid of wardrobes, beds, cotbed etc - good feeling passing them on to someone who will get further use from them rather than sending them for recycling/landfill. At the moment the small van at £50 for the day and using the council dump still seems like the best option, I'll have to ask the council how lenient their small vans policy is. I suspect the newest small vans have been updated to create as much load space as possible and the council's guidelines havn't been updated. Would be madness if a Transit Courier can't use the dump because the loadspace is 10cm to long, and 6cm to high.
Here we have ridiculous charges for "DIY" waste and can only use the measly free allowance one per week.
I book a DIY waste permit every week even if I don't need one because if I book on a Monday I can use it up to Sunday and if I use it on Sunday I can use another one on Monday. Also turning up 2 days running with a valid permit drives the poor guys at the tip nuts.
Please note that I don't have any problems with the nice guys at the tip who are great guys and only follow the rules (sometimes).
The rules say 1 item or 2 bags. I realise that not everyone can do this but for your wardrobes I would cut the every piece up into small pieces so that it can all fit into a couple of woven rubble bags https://www.screwfix.com/p/ndc-polipak-polypropyle... Which I would take to the tip and empty onto the wood skip. No one can see what I am unloading and this lets me dispose of lots more than "1 item".
As a point of principle I will NEVER pay to dispose of DIY and using the cutting up technique I can also get a good amount into my general waste bin which is collected every 2 weeks.
I do sort all my waste and I am very careful about what goes into each refuse collection bin and as I can actually see the Energy From Waste site from my house and I went on a guided tour of the facility I know that I'm doing them a favour by sending them my combustible wardrobe which the Hitachi grate will gobble up to make electricity.
I book a DIY waste permit every week even if I don't need one because if I book on a Monday I can use it up to Sunday and if I use it on Sunday I can use another one on Monday. Also turning up 2 days running with a valid permit drives the poor guys at the tip nuts.
Please note that I don't have any problems with the nice guys at the tip who are great guys and only follow the rules (sometimes).
The rules say 1 item or 2 bags. I realise that not everyone can do this but for your wardrobes I would cut the every piece up into small pieces so that it can all fit into a couple of woven rubble bags https://www.screwfix.com/p/ndc-polipak-polypropyle... Which I would take to the tip and empty onto the wood skip. No one can see what I am unloading and this lets me dispose of lots more than "1 item".
As a point of principle I will NEVER pay to dispose of DIY and using the cutting up technique I can also get a good amount into my general waste bin which is collected every 2 weeks.
I do sort all my waste and I am very careful about what goes into each refuse collection bin and as I can actually see the Energy From Waste site from my house and I went on a guided tour of the facility I know that I'm doing them a favour by sending them my combustible wardrobe which the Hitachi grate will gobble up to make electricity.
My local Council recycling centre not the Council tip / dump as we call it has a rule .... no vans allowed , if you have a VW Transporter or similar van ,not allowed in
If you have a VW Transporter or similar with 1 or more windows on the side , yes come in no problem.
Doesn't make sense
If you have a VW Transporter or similar with 1 or more windows on the side , yes come in no problem.
Doesn't make sense
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff