One of the most challenging aspects of waste disposal for businesses to deal with sustainably is general or office clearances and bulky waste collections.

When a business needs to do a clearance of their offices or other premises there is usually a mix of bulky items and smaller items that are hard to recycle.

Both can be difficult to deal with, and without selecting a provider who will handle the clearances responsibly, these items often end up in landfill or being fly-tipped. This worsens the environmental impact of your business and can also lead to large fines.

What is bulky waste?

The legal definition of bulky waste is: ‘any item which exceeds 25kg in weight' and/or any item that can't be fitted into ‘a receptacle for household waste', like a wheelie bin. Bulky items includes items such as desks, chairs, sofas, fridges, freezers, toilets, and old tech.

In the UK, 42% of our bulky waste is made up of furniture, such as sofas. The second biggest components are textiles (including carpets, rugs and underlay) and WEEE (electronic waste, such as laptops). Over 1.6m tonnes of bulky waste is thrown away every year. Most of this ends up in landfill.

Why is it difficult to get rid of bulky items sustainably?

Bulky waste is difficult to deal with because it's often heavy and difficult to move, as well as being costly to transport. Householders can take the item to the recycling tip or pay for the council to pick it up.

Businesses need to use a specialist waste company, and need to ensure it is handled responsibly. It can be difficult to get rid of bulky items whilst also ensuring that they will be disposed of responsibly and not just end up in landfill.

Choosing a provider who will handle bulky items disposal sustainably can be difficult as there are many who won't take this into consideration. This is where First Mile comes in!

Why is it difficult to do an office clearance sustainably?

Office and general business clearances can be time-consuming and stressful, creating a lot of inconvenient waste that is hard to dispose of. Whilst there may be items that can be recycled such as paper, often they require specialist recycling streams such as confidential paper shredding. Stationary and other smaller electronic items also require specialist recycling and can't go in standard office recycling streams. Additionally, office clearances usually require bulky waste collections of decks, chairs, monitors and so on.

First Mile can support on all aspects of your office clearance, providing support on what can be recycled and how - ensuring that you have a sustainable office clearance.

Why use First Mile for sustainable office clearances and bulky waste collections?

  • We're 100% zero-to-landfill: anything that can't be recycled goes to a waste-to-energy facility where it's turned into energy to power homes
  • We reuse as much as possible, for example we refurbish WEEE waste at our facilities and put up for resale.
  • We offer competitive, tailored prices and a fantastic, five-star service
  • Our team are on hand throughout the whole process to give you updates and provide support
  • You can choose same-day or next-day collections at a time that suits you
  • We work with trusted partners to provide a great waste collection service
  • We can support any industries, including offices, public venues, hospitality or any business moving site or clearing out
  • We're fully compliant and provide a certificate on completion
  • It's easy to book online in minutes or get a tailor fit quote from our expert team
  • We provide a full report on your carbon savings and where your waste has gone to

How can First Mile help your business dispose of bulky waste sustainably?

You can book a one-off collection, business rubbish removal, skip hire, waste clearance, rubbish clearance or office clearance. All come with our zero-to-landfill guarantee and a promise that we will handle your waste responsibly and sustainably. Find out more about our services below:

Sustainable Office Clearances:

If your business is planning to move to new office premises in the New Year, or simply having a clear out, you'll know how much there is to organise. Luckily, your office clearance is one aspect you don't need to worry about with First Mile.

First Mile's office clearance service is low cost, and all compliance documentation is included free of charge. You can choose your load size, so you only pay for what you need. Plus, to make it as easy as possible, we'll send email and text alerts to you once your driver is on the way.

We'll sort office waste into items that can be reused and items that have no value. The latter are sent to recyclers or refurbished to be sold on. Items that can't be sold are incinerated to generate green energy. This means absolutely nothing goes to landfill.

If you have any confidential waste that you want to dispose of – such as out-of-date documents – we'll shred it securely for you.

And we'll provide you with a full report of what happens to all your waste, including carbon savings.


Skip Hire

Book same- or next-day skip hire at an affordable price. We offer two different waste skip sizes: medium (8 yard) and large (12 yard). They're ideal for commercial and industrial projects.

Book your skip hire online and we'll deliver it during the selected time slot on your chosen day. When it's full, call us to book your free collection.

Please note: skip hire is available for private land only.

WEEE Waste


If you've recently upgraded your electrical items or IT equipment and want to get rid of your old tech, book a collection with us to ensure that everything gets reused or recycled, rather than ending up in landfill.

We'll make sure that all devices are wiped clean of data before the equipment is refurbished. Any parts that can't be reused are shredded to be recycled into new products.

Hard to dispose of items (Return & Recycle Points)

First Mile provides customised recycling solutions for individual brands who want to make their products and packaging nationally recyclable. We can help you by setting up a Return and Recycle point in your retail store, restaurant, café or workplace, so that your customers or workforce can recycle your brand's products or packaging.

We offer six material type including textiles, plastics and tech & electronics (WEEE).

Why should you use First Mile for business waste management and recycling?

First Mile can support your business in reaching its carbon reduction goals in 2023. We can provide sustainable office clearances and bulky waste collections at a great price.

We also offer over 30 different waste and recycling services, enabling you to boost your recycling rates whilst effectively dealing with your waste management. The good news about recycling is that not only is it saving the planet, but it's saving your business money too.

Get in touch today for a tailor fit quote or book online in minutes!