Commercial Recycling Setup Checker for London Businesses
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Commercial Recycling Setup Checker for London Businesses
Work through six short checks and copy the result into a collection enquiry. The checker doesn’t calculate a price or certify compliance. It makes the premises easier to quote correctly.
Start with step oneSix practical checks
No price estimate
No legal conclusion
Quote-ready output
Step 1: Does Simpler Recycling apply to this London business now?
Count full-time-equivalent employees for the business as a whole, not one branch (our reading of the guidance). Current guidance says workplaces with 10 or more FTE have been in scope since 31 March 2025; a micro-firm with fewer than 10 FTE across the business has until 31 March 2027. See the Simpler Recycling guide for London micro-firms.
Source: GOV.UK, Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England.
Last checked: 4 September 2026
London recycling setup answer: FTE total
Write: “Our business has approximately ___ full-time-equivalent employees across ___ locations.” If the count is uncertain, use the GOV.UK method before relying on the micro-firm date.
London recycling setup answer: implementation date
Write: “The date we are working to is ___.” Don’t confuse the headcount at one branch with the total for the business as a whole.
Step 2: Which materials does the London business produce?
Look at a normal trading week and tick every group that appears. Put anything you’re unsure about on its own list. The what goes in commercial recycling guide covers the groups.
London recycling setup stream: dry packaging
List plastic bottles, pots and tubs, tins, cans and cartons. Note plastic film separately; not every collector takes it in the dry stream.
London recycling setup stream: paper and cardboard
List office paper, delivery boxes and other paper packaging. Note whether it’s normally dry, and whether confidential paper turns up.
London recycling setup stream: glass, food and residual waste
Record bottles and jars, food waste and whatever is left over. Keep unusual glass, electrical items and anything you suspect is hazardous on a separate “ask first” list.
Step 3: How much recycling does the London business produce?
Measure volume just before a normal collection, or at the end of a busy period. A photograph with a known bag or bin in shot gives scale.
London recycling setup answer: weekly volume
Write: “In a normal week we fill approximately ___ bags / ___ known-size bins of dry recycling, ___ of card and paper, and ___ of glass.” Use ranges where trade varies.
London recycling setup answer: peak volume
Write: “Our busiest predictable day or period is ___ and the volume rises to ___.” Include event days, weekend trade, delivery days and seasonal peaks.
Step 4: Where can London commercial recycling be stored?
Measure the space available and the route from storage to the collection point. The right size of bin is no use if it blocks a door or can’t be wheeled out.
London recycling setup answer: storage point
Write: “Full containers wait ___.” Avoid vague terms. Say whether the point is inside, covered, locked, or shared with other occupiers.
London recycling setup answer: collection access
Write: “The route to the collection point includes ___ metres, ___ doors, ___ steps and any slope or lift.” Add whether the vehicle can stop close enough for the agreed service.
London recycling setup answer: presentation restrictions
Write: “Waste may be placed outside only between ___ and ___, according to ___.” Link to the council source if a local rule applies.
Step 5: Which London recycling containers are already in place?
List the actual bags, internal bins and external containers. Don’t assume the colour of a bin proves which stream it’s for.
London recycling setup answer: current containers
Write: “We currently use ___ for residual waste, ___ for dry recycling, ___ for paper/card, ___ for glass and ___ for food.” Mark any stream with no container.
London recycling setup answer: current labels
Photograph the label and compare it with the collector’s accepted list. Record the two most common wrong items seen in each recycling container. The recycling contamination guide covers the repeat offenders.
Step 6: What should the London business ask the collector?
Use the answers above to ask precise questions. A collector should be able to explain the proposed streams, container format, frequency, access assumptions and paperwork.
London recycling collector question: accepted materials
Ask: “Which exact items from our list go in each container, and which need a separate route?” Ask for a written answer that can become the staff label.
London recycling collector question: paper and card assessment
Ask: “Will paper and card be collected separately, or does your written co-collection assessment support a combined dry stream for this service?” Current GOV.UK guidance says paper and card must be collected separately from plastic, metal and glass unless the collector holds a valid written co-collection assessment.
London recycling collector question: glass and food
Ask: “How will glass and food be kept separate from dry mixed recycling and residual waste?” Glass is never part of our dry mixed recycling; on Capital Recycle’s service it goes in a dedicated 240-litre glass bin. For food waste, ask us about the right collection route.
London recycling collector question: records
Ask: “What waste transfer record will we receive, who completes it and how long should we keep it?”
Copy this London commercial recycling setup brief
Copy the block below into an email. Fill in the blanks and attach photographs of the usual waste and the access point.
Business and postcode: Approximate FTE total across the business: Premises type: Normal weekly dry-recycling volume: Normal weekly paper/card volume: Normal weekly glass volume: Food-waste volume, if any: Residual-waste volume: Current bags/bins and sizes: Storage point: Route from storage to collection point: Local presentation window, if relevant: Repeated contamination items: Uncertain or unusual materials: Preferred collection days/frequency:
What this London recycling setup brief can do
It gives a collector the facts needed to recommend a stream and container plan. It also records the assumptions the quote should state.
What this London recycling setup brief cannot do
It can’t certify compliance or predict a price, and it won’t tell you whether something is hazardous. The collector and the business still have to confirm the actual waste and the service terms.
Commercial recycling setup questions from London businesses
Can the London recycling checker tell me how many bins I need?
No. It gathers the volume, storage and access facts a collector needs before recommending a number. The final answer depends on the collector’s container range and service pattern.
Can the London recycling checker calculate a collection price?
No. There’s deliberately no headline estimate, because weight, frequency, material quality and access all move the quote.
Can the London recycling checker confirm legal compliance?
No. It’s an operational checklist, not legal advice or a compliance certificate. Use the current official guidance for the legal rule.
Should a London business attach photographs to the setup brief?
Yes, as long as they don’t show anything personal or confidential. Photograph the typical volume and the current containers, plus the route to the collection point.
Should every branch in a London business use identical container sizes?
Only when the volumes, storage, access and collector specifications match. A multi-site business should run the check for each location before standardising container sizes.
What happens after the London recycling setup brief is sent?
The collector can ask targeted questions, then propose the streams and containers, and how often to collect. The quote should then state its assumptions rather than hiding them.
Send the London commercial recycling setup for a quote
Send your name, phone, email and postcode and have the brief ready when we reply. If it’s easier, call 0207 101 4003, or WhatsApp the photographs to the same number. We quote commercial recycling collections for London and the WD postcodes.
Request a recycling quote
Tell us the postcode, what the business produces each week and where the containers would sit. A person replies with a question or a price.
Or email office@capitalrecycle.co.uk · WhatsApp photos of the bin area to the same number.