How to dispose of rubbish in Guildford

23 September 2022

This is the ultimate guide to rubbish removal Guildford. It covers every method of bulky waste disposal Guildford, and how to choose between them. Bulky waste means anything too big for your normal wheelie bins (e.g. sofa, fridge, mattress, large appliances, rubble or renovation waste). The key sections in this article are:

Reuse options in Guildford
Guildford Council bulky waste collection service
Using a Man & van waste collector, including how to find a good one, examples and prices
Skip hire in Guildford, including skip hire providers, prices and permit fees
Local recycling centres

1. Reuse options in Guildford

Could somebody else reuse your unwanted items? You could donate them for reuse instead of throwing them away and the great thing is that most ways to do this are completely free. Even better, there are lots of routes to reuse in Guildford.

Below are some of the more popular reuse charities and social enterprises in the Guildford area that accept second hand furniture, appliances and generally larger items:

Organisation name	Address
Furniturelink Surrey	2b, Merrow Business Park, Merrow Lane, Guildford GU4 7WA
Paint Reuse Shop Guildford	Moorfield Road, Slyfield Green Industrial Estate, Guildford, Surrey GU1 1RU
Phyllis Tuckwell Furniture and Home Store	231 High Street, Guildford, GU1 3BQ
British Heart Foundation Guildford	16/19 White Lion Walk, Guildford, GU1 3DN

Note: when donating upholstered furniture, charities ask for fire labels still attached. If you don't find any other reuse options, check out Furniture Removal Guildford. For a more detailed guide to all the reuse options in Guildford, have a look at our Guide to Freecyle & Reuse in Guildford.

2. Council Bulky waste collection service

Guildford council offers a rubbish removal service for bulky items such as appliances, white goods and furniture.

Guildford council operates their bulky waste collections through Furniture Helpline, a charity in the Surrey area. To arrange a collection, go to the Furniture Helpline website.

Cost of the collection service

Furniture Helpline offers two sets of prices: one standard and another for those on low income, unemployment or housing benefits. Check if your benefits make you eligible for discounted bulky waste collection prices here.

Number of items	Fee
1 item	£49 (discounted: £39)
2-4 items	£84 (discounted: £60)
5-10 items	£130 (discounted: £90)

Telephone: 01420 489000 (leave a message. Responses may take several days).

Email: Submit an enquiry with the booking form here.

Other Information

Response time: Up to 5 days during busy periods. You'll receive a message reminder of collection at least 2 days before.
Concessions: Available to those on benefits.
Website: For more details visit the Guildford council website here.
Overcharging: Three Surrey councils (Guildford included) are in England's top 10 most expensive for bulky waste collection charges. If you're looking to save some money, we recommend reading on about Man & Van collections.

3. Licensed man & van waste collectors

Instead of council removals, there is the option to hire a licensed Man & Van rubbish collector. They tend to respond much faster than the council and will collect any and all types of waste. Private collectors can also collect rubbish from both in and outside the home, whereas the council can strictly do collections outdoors. This may be a problem if you can’t lift or move your items outside by yourself.

It's essential you check that any rubbish clearance business has a license from the Environment Agency and public liability insurance. This is to avoid cowboy operators who fly tip your rubbish and pocket the profit.

Cheapest licensed bulky waste collector in Guildford

To find local, fully licensed waste removal businesses in Guildford, use the LoveJunk waste removal & reuse marketplace. Just take some photos of the waste you want to get rid of and waste collector or reuser gives a quote to take it away. All quotes are no-obligation, we guarantee no fly tipping and LoveJunk is widely recommended by councils.

4. Skip hire Guildford

Skips are useful if you have a lot of messy waste to get rid of. Unlike Man & Van collectors, you’ll need to load the skip yourself. Prices are also fixed no matter how full the skips are at the end. Skip hire is often much more expensive than Man & Van simply because of additional permit and license fees.

For more information on how skip fees work, take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Skip Hire.

Guildford skip hire companies

The best options for skip hires are local licensed companies. Here are some of the main skip hire companies operating in Guildford.

Organisation name	Telephone
Chambers Waste Management PLC	01483 504595
Grey Fox Skip Hire Guildford	01483 963046
John Gunner & Co Ltd	01483 233543
Clearups Skip Hire Guildford	01483 678980

Skip hire prices in Guildford

Here are typical skip hire prices (including VAT) for a mixed general waste skip in Guildford. Prices below reflect a hire period of 14 days. They do not include the cost of the necessary skip permits or parking bay suspensions.

Builder skip: 6 - 8 cubic yard skip @ £320 - £360

Maxi skip: 10 - 12 cubic yard skip @ £500

Skip Permits and Bay Suspensions

If you’ll be placing the skip on the road (instead of on your drive, for example) you’ll need a skip permit license and (if you live in one) a controlled parking zone (CPZ) suspension. See our Guide to Skip Permits and Bay Suspensions for more info.

In Guildford, the skip company you hire will apply for the skip permit. How much it costs will be added to the final cost of the actual skip hire. However, you may need to submit a CPZ bay suspension request yourself - check with the company you hire. In the case that you do, apply online here.

Skip License Guildford: £110 (for up to 28 days)

CPZ Bay Suspension in Guildford: £65 for up to 3 days (and up to 3 parking spaces)

You can find more information on skip permits in Guildford on the council website here.

5. Guildford Recycling Centre

In Guildford, the address for the community recycling centre is Moorfield Rd, Slyfield Industrial Estate, Guildford GU1 1RU. The council tip is only available to Surrey residents. For complete information, including opening hours, permitted and prohibited items, have a look at our Guildford Recycling Centre Guide.

A map of Guildford tip

Finally,

Thanks for reading! We hope you found our how to dispose of rubbish in Guildford guide helpful. For comprehensive rubbish removal advice, we've written a How to Dispose of Rubbish guide.

Junk Diaries

How to dispose of rubbish in Guildford

Advice and info on how to dispose of rubbish & bulky waste in Guildford

1. Reuse options in Guildford