How collection works

1. List

A collection is priced from a list of what is going. The more exact it is, the closer the price will be to the final job. For each item it helps to know the chemical name, roughly how much, the container size and type, and its condition. A stock list from a spreadsheet is a fine start. If you use the Chemical Register, the list comes straight from your rows.

Unknown bottles belong on the list too. Do not open them to find out what they are. Describe the container and any markings, and note where they are.

Some things need separate handling and cannot be priced from a list. These are controlled drugs, radioactive sources, explosives including dried picric acid and other chemicals flagged as unstable, compressed gas cylinders, asbestos and unknown substances that cannot be placed with confidence. They need a person to look at them first, and often a chemical store assessment. Tell us they exist, and leave them where they are.

2. Price

You receive one price from Box 4, itemised by line, with EWC codes and hazardous flags, totals excluding VAT, VAT, the total and a validity date. Behind that price, a registered carrier has been matched to your postcode and to the waste codes on your list.

The price reflects the work. Hazardous waste has to be sorted by hazard class and compatibility, so ten bottles of different types may need more packs than fifty of the same type. Awkward access, unusually hazardous items and small quantities spread across many locations all add cost. Disposal routes differ as well: some wastes cost far more to treat than others.

A minimum order value applies before a quote can be issued, currently £750 excluding VAT. Collecting a small list is rarely worthwhile because a specialist vehicle and trained staff have to attend either way. If your list falls below the minimum you can add items, or hold it until your next stock check.

If what is on site differs from the list when the carrier arrives, the price may need to change, or an item may have to stay until it can be dealt with properly. Our disposal terms cover this.

3. Book

You accept the quote, and approval is obtained on your side if you need it. You pay by invoice and BACS, not by card. Your purchase order number can go on the invoice.

We then arrange a date around your preferred window, along with access notes and a contact for the day. Schools often choose a holiday or an after-hours slot, when no students are about. Hospitals often want a slot that avoids patient routes. Tell us about any height restrictions, lift access or stairs at this stage, because a carrier needs to know before arriving.

When you accept, a pre-filled consignment note is prepared. It names the carrier and the consignee, so you can see who is coming. You should check any registration on the public register. Our guide to checking a registration shows how.

You also have a part to play in advance. In Scotland, the note needs a SEPA code and possibly pre-notification. In Wales, your premises may need to be registered. The consignment note guide has the detail by nation.

4. Collect

On the day, trained staff working for the carrier come to site. They check what is there against the list and the note, then sort and pack it by hazard. Chemicals usually go into lab packs: outer containers holding smaller containers of compatible chemicals, packed with absorbent material. They label the packs for transport, since ADR applies to the carriage of dangerous goods by road.

Someone from your organisation needs to be there. In England the consignor must be present at the collection to sign Part D, and that person is normally the one handing over the waste. Before signing, read the note. Parts A to D cannot be changed once certified. Keep your copy, since you are required to.

Before the day, keep the route to the store clear, make sure someone can open it and move anything that is not going away from what is. Do not gather everything into one area, or decant anything to make it tidier, unless the job plan asks you to. Moving old stock is one of the riskier parts of the process.

If the staff decide an item is not safe to move, it stays. A second visit or specialist attention may be needed.

5. Document

The waste goes to a site permitted to receive it, usually within 24 hours of collection. The consignee completes Part E. You should later receive a consignee return, which you keep as part of your register.

In England you keep consignment notes, consignee returns and related documents for three years at the premises that produced or stored the waste. Your invoice comes from Box 4. If you use the register, the signed documents attach to the collection and the items move to disposed.

What stays with you

Using a broker does not transfer your duty of care. As producer or holder you still need to classify and describe the waste accurately, keep it safe until it goes, make sure it goes to someone authorised and keep your records. You must not mix hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste, or mix different types of hazardous waste. If you do not know how to describe something, say so. A list with honest gaps is much better than a confident guess.

What a broker does

A waste broker arranges the transfer of waste for others without taking physical possession of it. Under the duty of care code of practice, brokers must be registered even though they never hold the waste. Our waste broker registration number reads [TO CONFIRM] on this site until it has been supplied, and no quote can be issued until then.

We do not publish the names of the carriers we work with. When a job is booked, the consignment note shows you the carrier and consignee, as the law requires.

Choosing who to use

If you are comparing options, three things are worth asking of anybody you may use. Can they give you a registration number you can check? Will they tell you, before the waste moves, who is carrying it and where it is going? And do they give you the paperwork you are required to keep? Department for Education guidance warns schools that some "companies" operate illegally, offering to dispose of hazardous waste at discount prices. A low price with no paperwork is a warning sign.