Containers for your transport and storage waste and recycling

Estimated reading time: 5 min

Providing the right bins and containers for your waste and recycling, and storing them in the right location, is essential for helping your staff, passengers and visitors separate waste more effectively and increase the amount your workplace recycles.

In deciding what kind of waste and recycling containers and storage areas your organisation needs, think about these two questions:

What types and quantities of waste materials does your workplace generate? For example, an airport would generate large amounts of waste glass, cardboard and food waste, while a coach company will likely generate a small amount of food waste, plastic packaging and metals.
Where in your workplace is waste being generated, and by whom? For example, the office of a logistics company will likely generate paper and cardboard, but on concourses or in food courts passengers would likely generate plastic or metal packaging and food waste.

Answering these questions will help you manage the way waste and recycling moves through your premises. For example, you can position internal containers and recycling points in the places where waste is generated, such as by desks, on concourses or in staff break or rest rooms.

Ensuring you keep waste and recyclable materials separate and choosing the right types of containers for doing so, will provide consistency and support simpler messaging for both employees and passengers, especially in public areas. Always consider the practicalities – for example, the types of containers used on a station concourse may not be practical for use on board a train.

Good to know
Workplaces should always present their waste in accordance with the requirements of their recycling service provider, as some waste may choose to permit the mixing of certain recyclable materials, for example glass, cardboard, metals and plastics. In doing so the recycling provider then needs to produce a written assessment to demonstrate the justification for co-collection to ensure compliance with the new regulations.

Remember to consider transient or non-permanent locations and what facilities these may need to keep waste separated for recycling from every location. Businesses who employee drivers who regular spend time on the road or use their trucks overnight will need to consider whether they can deposit their recyclables at truck stops used along their route, or should instruct their drivers to bring their recyclables back to base following each shift.

Transport businesses or workplaces located in England may have employees or fleets which regularly travel or cross into other UK nations including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As waste is a devolved matter, the rules between these countries may differ when it comes to recycling. Give consideration to where the transport terminates and the workplace requirements of that nation. Visit our sister sites in Wales, or Northern Ireland to learn more about the differences in each nation. Similar guidance for Scotland is also available.

Checklist: choosing the right bins for your business

Large enough to contain waste and recycling between emptying, but not so large that they’re difficult to manoeuvre or lift. We recommend that the containers you use to separate food waste indoors, for example in a food prep setting, should be 35 litres or less, and that the outdoor containers you use to present food waste for collection should be no larger than 140 litres, to keep them suitable for manual handling. See the WRAP Commercial Food Waste Collections Guide.
Fully enclosed, leak-proof containers, with lids or covers to keep recyclable materials such as cardboard dry, stop waste escaping, prevent access by vermin or pests and help adhere to hygiene levels in accordance with food safety guidance.
Store different types of waste separately so that they don’t contaminate each other – this also means you can reuse them more easily, and it’ll be easier to complete your waste transfer note correctly.
Segregate international catering waste where applicable, subject to Animal and Plant Health Agency controls.
Follow the Regulatory Position Statement guidance for storing waste at transport hubs. This advises on the storage of decayable waste (food and drink waste) for no longer than a week and for non-decayable waste no longer than a month.
Label containers clearly with the waste they contain.
To minimise security risks, follow Department for Transport guidance for waste and recycling points in railway stations. There’s also guidance for reducing security risks outside bus, coach and rail stations. Liaise with your in-house security team to discuss the most suitable options and locations for recycling points on your site and how often to empty them.