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Commercial waste collection providers in Reading
Reading, a bustling economic hub at the confluence of the Thames and Kennet rivers in Berkshire, is renowned as a modern commercial powerhouse, hosting major players in technology and retail.
This vibrant town faces unique challenges as it strives to manage the substantial volumes of commercial waste generated by its thriving business sector.
In this article, we will review the best business waste collection, disposal, and management solutions available in Reading.
💡 Use our commercial waste comparison service to find the most cost-effective business waste solutions in Reading. Start by entering your postcode above.
Select Environmental
Select Environmental Services, a family-owned waste provider based in South Reading, operates a modern fleet of fuel-efficient waste vehicles across the Thames Valley. They provide a comprehensive waste solution for businesses and organisations of all sizes.
Grundon
Grundon is a commercial waste provider operating across the South of England, with a local depot in the village of Aldermaston Wharf near Reading. Grundon is the trusted waste provider for many of Reading’s larger organisations, including the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
re3
re3 is a partnership between three local councils: Bracknell Forest, Reading, and Wokingham. It is responsible for operating the public recycling centres in the area and also offers a comprehensive trade waste collection service.
EnviroCraft
For over 40 years, EnviroCraft has been providing sustainable waste collection services, finding the greenest possible solutions for commercial waste disposal. EnviroCraft operates a branch and recycling centre on Imperial Way in South Reading.
Biffa
Biffa, the UK’s largest waste provider, operates comprehensive commercial waste services across Berkshire. Biffa has a recycling centre in the village of Eversley, a few miles south of Reading, from which it offers commercial waste services to local companies.
Veolia
Veolia, an international provider of ecological transformation solutions, serves over 70,000 UK businesses with waste management services. In the village of Padworth, west of Reading, they operate a material recovery centre to support their local services.
Commercial waste collection with Reading Borough Council
Unlike many local authorities in Britain, Reading Borough Council prides itself on delivering a high-quality commercial waste collection service.
Reading Council’s commercial waste service is distinct from their free domestic waste collections, offering the following dedicated collections across Reading:
- Daily collections of general business waste
- Daily collections of dry mixed recycling
- Weekly collections of food waste
- Weekly collections of glass recycling
- Fortnightly collections of garden waste
Reading Council promises competitive commercial waste collection costs, with bin hire and waste transfer note documentation included within their monthly fee.
💡Find out how competitive your Reading Council collection fees are by comparing quotes with our waste collection providers today.
Reading Borough Council trade sacks service
Reading Borough Council offers a convenient trade sacks service for one-off small business waste needs.
Trade sacks are commercial waste bags available for one-off purchase, collected according to the council’s regular waste collection schedule.
Reading Council currently sells trade waste sacks at the following costs:
- General waste bags x50 – £167.50
- Recycling bags x50 – £115.20
Source: Reading Borough Council – Business Waste
Commercial recycling centres in Reading
The public recycling centre in Reading offers a limited service to businesses who wish to dispose of their own waste at the following locations:
- Smallmead Recycling Centre – Island Road, Reading, RG2 0RP
- Longshot Lane Recycling Centre – Longshot Lane, Bracknell, RG12 1RL
However, to use this recycling centre, your business must meet the following criteria:
- Has fewer than 10 employees
- Operates in Bracknell, Reading or Wokingham.
- Hold a waste carrier license.
To use the recycling centres for trade waste, it is necessary to book in advance.
For more details, including the latest price list, visit FCC Environmental – Trade Waste.
Alternatively, businesses can use the following privately offered waste transfer stations around Reading:
- M.Collard – 128 Cardiff Road, Reading, RG1 8PQ
- J.Mould – Reading Quarry, Berrys Lane, Burghfield, Reading, RG30 3EY
💡The waste transfer stations above will provide you with a Waste Transfer Note for any business waste you bring, allowing your company to demonstrate its compliance with commercial waste regulations.
Commercial recycling in Reading
The Berkshire town of Reading is a vibrant business location that benefits from its proximity to London (via the M4) and international markets (via Heathrow Airport).
Reading ranks in the top five on PwC’s Good Growth Index for its strong levels of economic potential.
In this section, we will explore the waste solutions used by Reading’s key industries.
Office waste management Reading
Reading boasts a strong presence in the tech industry, with major companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Huawei establishing offices in local business parks. These firms are drawn by robust transport links and the skilled workforce from nearby universities in Reading and Oxford.
Local waste providers offer dedicated office waste management services, including regular confidential waste and mixed recycling collections, to support these large offices.
Restaurant waste collection Reading
Reading regularly hosts Blue Collar Street Food, a series of weekly events that showcase a variety of local and international food vendors.
Mobile food vendors face additional challenges in managing their food waste. They are supported by specialist event waste providers who supply the necessary facilities and commercial waste bins to manage the waste produced by these vendors.
Retail waste management Reading
Reading is home to the Oracle Shopping Centre, which boasts over 80 fashion and lifestyle retail brands. Brands such as Reiss, Boss, and Moss must manage vast quantities of packaging waste associated with deliveries of textile inventory.
Specialist retail waste management services provide solutions like balers to help these shops minimise the storage space required for recyclable cardboard.
Data centre waste management in Reading
Reading serves as a hub for data centres and IT infrastructure, attracting global firms like Equinix. These firms leverage their proximity to London to provide network capacity to the Capital’s financial service district.
The IT technology employed by these firms is in a constant state of evolution, aimed at delivering faster and more reliable services. To manage the decommissioning of old servers and other e-waste, these data centre firms utilise commercial electronic waste providers.
Museum waste management in Reading
Reading boasts a vibrant historical tourism industry, with famous sites such as Reading Abbey, founded by Henry the First in 1121.
The town hosts notable tourist attractions like the Museum of English Rural Life and the Reading Museum. These local museums promote recycling initiatives by providing segregated bins for visitors to maximise the collection of food waste, plastic, and paper waste.
Pharmacutical waste management in Reading
Reading is home to several companies specialising in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and development, clustered in the Thames Valley Science Park.
Pharmaceutical firms must carefully manage chemical waste, including solvents and reagents used in product development. Specialist hazardous waste collection firms assist these companies in managing risks and providing environmentally friendly solutions for their disposal.
Reading University Waste Management
The University of Reading stands as one of the best examples of a large British organisation implementing an ambitious waste management strategy. They have achieved remarkable results:
- Less than 2% of waste is sent to landfill.
- Over 60% of waste generation is recycled.
- 17.6% reduction in waste generation compared to a 2015 baseline.
Source: Reading University – Recycling
As a guide to the level of achievement, Reading University ranked second in the 2023 Times Higher Education Responsible Consumption and Production global ranking.
Here, we’ll highlight some of the most innovative waste strategies taken by Reading University:
- Frank the Barrista Scheme – Discounts are provided to students and staff who use their own reusable cups when purchasing coffee. The scheme is estimated to have avoided over 170,000 difficult-to-recycle coffee cups each year.
- Unigreen Scheme – This is a reuse scheme for the research sector. Unigreen collects, stores, and sells unwanted valuable lab equipment, reducing landfill waste and generating income for the university.
- Enhanced segregation of waste – Identifying specific examples of waste that can be recycled and arranging for collection. For example, a separate collection of pipette tips made from recyclable polypropylene.