Posted on 10th July 2019 by Hintons
When you fill up a skip, it’ll be stacked with a whole range of waste materials. From old desks to building rubble; garden clippings to fence posts, you’ll likely be glad to be rid of the monumental amount of discarded waste. But have you ever wondered where all this waste goes? It’s all got to go somewhere, and in this article, we’ll show you where.
Does skip waste get recycled?
While some people might think that skip waste all goes to the landfill, this is not the case. Skip companies will endeavour to recycle as much collected waste as possible, and if the company has a dedicated waste transfer station, then it’s even more likely your waste will be responsibly recycled. But there are some stages the waste needs to go through first, depending on the type. These include:
- Sorting — skips carry a hodge-podge of materials. These are taken back to the supplier’s site and sorted into different categories. Larger, bulkier items will be removed at this stage.
- Treatment and processing — each waste category is treated by type. Scrap metal, for instance, will stripped down into subcategories, building rubble will be crushed, soil will be screened. The treatment stage is basically preparing them for their final recycling stage, getting them ready to either be sent to specialist companies who can turn them into different products, or be recycled in-house.
- Disposal — Processed waste can be recycled at this stage. As said above, some items — fabrics, scrap metal, top soil and aggregates — can be moved on to specialist companies. Scrap metal can be shipped to manufacturers to be reused, timber can be processed so that it is ready to be reused for many applications. At this stage, any processed waste which can be recycled will be recycled.
The importance of ethical waste disposal
With so much focus on recycling and being more environmentally friendly, businesses — and the general public — are taking greater responsibility for the ethical disposal of their waste. The idea of ‘zero to landfill’ is now more realistic than ever; people are more keenly aware of the dangers of relying on landfill sites. Not only is the UK running out of dedicated landfill space, but many of the items sent to landfill, tragically, can be recycled.
By disposing of waste in a more ethical way, we can safeguard the environment. Not just our local environment, but our shared, global environment. When materials are left to decompose in landfill site, they can contribute to ground pollution as well as the release of harmful emissions.
If you ensure that your waste is recycled properly, you also mitigate the energy demands which come with creating brand new products. Take aluminium, for instance. The energy it takes to create aluminium products is much higher than the energy taken to process, recycle and reuse the material. By taking a more considered, ethical view of waste management, we help our planet, which should be a top priority for us all.
Choosing the right skip company
When choosing a skip company, many are focused more on hire rates rather than disposal methods. But by choosing a skip company which takes responsibility for recycling collected waste themselves, you can be confident that your are helping the environment rather than adding to the growing landfill piles.
At Hinton’s Waste, we operate our own waste transfer and recycling station, meaning we take complete control over the disposal of all the waste which enters our site. We oversee every stage of the recycling process, so if something can be reused, we make sure it can be. Not only that, but we also offer competitive skip hire rates with a prompt service from a professional team.
Contact the team at Hinton’s Waste today and we will help you find the ideal skip for your needs. We aim to recycle at least 90% of the waste we collect, so whether you’re a commercial or domestic customer, we provide peace of mind.