5 things about Council Bulky Waste Collection

2. How does council bulky waste collection work and who is it for?

Residents can arrange for a bulky item collection by contacting their local council. Most councils offer this service online or over the phone. Once the collection has been arranged, the resident will be given a collection date. On the day of the collection, the resident has to place the items outside, typically beside where their normal wheelie bin is locatewd.

The council bulky waste collection service is only for householders. This means businesses or trade waste is not accepted. In other words, nothing from a business location (eg. pub, office, shop) or waste created by trade (eg. builders rubble, construction waste, garden landscaping rubbish).

3. Cost of a council collection

It costs £31 on average for a council to collect a sofa. Cost of collection varies by council from ‘free’ all the way up to £75, charged by Runnymede council. Most council prices fall between £20-£40 (see chart below).

Note: Government legislation (POP regulations) requires upholstered seating to be disposed of in a certain way. This means a lot of councils are at the time of this article in March 2023 reviewing their charges and their prices for council sofa collections may well increase.

Council sofa collection prices

Source: LoveJunk March 2023.

In some instances, councils also offer concessions to people receiving certain government benefits. This varies by council, as does the amount of discount.

4. Councils offering free bulky waste collection 

There are eighteen councils that offer a free bulky item collection service. Generally, these councils tend to be in London and the North West. The free service terms and conditions vary by council but typically residents can have 1 free bulky waste collection a year and must pay if they have any more. 

Source: LoveJunk March 2023.