Trade Waste

Trade or Commercial Waste and Recycling Services

We collect general trade waste and also paper, cardboard, cans, cartons and plastics for recycling by arrangement. We can often tailor a service to fit your needs. For more details or a quotation please contact Trade Waste on 01835 825111. These services are operated in four areas.

Recycling services

As of 20 October 2008, all of the following can be placed in ONE recycling bag (you can use the green or orange bags for this purpose*);

cans - aluminium and steel food and drinks cans
aerosol cans
plastic bottles - any time
paper-based liquid food/drinks cartons (including those made by Tetra Pak)
plastic supermarket-type carrier bags (except black bags)
plastic film and wrappers
clear clean plastic food trays
aluminium foil food trays
small pieces of cardboard
catalogues and brochures
envelopes (including window envelopes) and unwanted mail
leaflets, magazines and newspapers
office paper
telephone directories and Yellow Pages

Hessian sacks are no longer collected. Please flatten any cardboard before putting it into the bag. Producers of large quantities of bulky cardboard can – by arrangement with the Council – present manageable bundles of card for collection, no sack necessary.

* Existing supplies of Orange/Green bags will continue to be accepted with all the above materials inside them. Once all council stocks have been used up, you will be issued with a new type of bag.

Glass recycling services are provided in the Scottish Borders by our partner Viridor Glass Recycling Ltd, tel: 0131 663 1061.

To discuss other materials for recycling, please contact us to discuss your individual requirements.

We have a Trade Waste Recycling Leaflet giving further details about Trade Waste Recycling .

Non-recyclable Commercial Waste

Regular uplifts of waste from commercial premises are made by the Council by arrangement. Please contact Trade Waste for more details or a quotation on 01835 825111 or e-mail us with 'Trade Waste' in the subject field.
Please note that commercial waste cannot be accepted at Community Recycling Centres, which are only for household waste.

Pre-treatment legislation

Changes in the regulations governing waste disposal came into force at the end of 2007. The legislation states that no landfill site can accept waste unless it has been pre-treated. This means that the Council cannot collect waste unless it has been pre-treated.

Any organisation or business generating waste needs to comply with these rules.

Waste will have been considered to be pre-treated if it has undergone a physical, thermal or biological process including sorting that changes the characteristics of the waste to;

reduce its mass,
reduce its hazardous nature,
facilitate its handling,
or enhance its recovery.

A leaflet will be available shortly outlining the pre-treatment legislation for businesses in the Scottish Borders.

Recycling at work

For many years we have relied on landfill as the main disposal option for our waste. It is now widely recognised that sending waste to landfill has significant environmental, social and economic impacts. Much of the waste that we throw away is a resource which can be reduced, reused or recycled. The costs of sending waste to landfill are increasing annually and as these costs continue to rise, alternatives to disposal, such as recycling services, are becoming more cost-effective options.

By recycling your business waste you are helping to save the earth's natural resources, save energy and reduce the risk of global warming. Businesses can also promote a positive and responsible image to their customers by implementing recycling practices for their business.

More information

Waste Aware Business: Any business based in Scotland can use the Waste Aware Business website and Business Recycling Directory to access information about local and national recycling and reuse services from a range of service providers.
Envirowise delivers a valuable programme of confidential advice to UK businesses. This advice enables businesses to improve profitability and reduce environmental impact. They have also produced a range of publications on their website containing advice on a variety of resource efficiency and waste minimisation topics, including case studies and good practice guides.
The Business Environment Partnership (BEP) provides free and subsidised assistance with environmental management to small and medium sized businesses throughout Scotland. You can access a large number of varied case studies from the BEP website.

Contact us

Telephone Helpline: 01835 825128
Email: The Recycling Team
By post: The Recycling Team, Scottish Borders Council, Newtown St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0SA

Thank you for helping us get it sorted.