Schools and businesses

School waste collection services

Local authorities aren’t legally required to collect waste from schools. However, some in Surrey do – check with your local council to see if they offer a service. If not, schools must procure a collection service from a private waste contractor.

Educating your pupils about recycling and waste

Teach a lesson about waste

The Surrey Environment Partnership has worked in collaboration with the Young People’s Trust for the Environment to produce four free slide presentations and guide documents so that you can teach your pupils about waste. Download them from here:

• Lesson 1 – waste and the environment (ZIP, 24MB)
• Lesson 2 – waste reduction (ZIP, 22MB)
• Lesson 3 – food waste recycling and reduction (ZIP, 20MB)
• Lesson 4 – recycling right – contamination (ZIP, 32MB)

Suez, the contractor responsible for disposing of Surrey’s waste and managing the county’s community recycling centres, also has a suite of STEM education resources for key stages 1-4, which includes two lesson presentations, resources to support the learning in teachers’ notes and interactive upcycling activities.

Waste activities for kids

Get the kids guessing which bins different items of waste should go in with the Recycling Detectives activity (PDF, 2.9MB). Print it out and your pupils can take it home for some fun homework that might help the parents too! There is also teachers’ guidance for the activity (Word, 67KB).

Print out this Sort and Recycle game (PDF, 1.5MB) in which kids cut and stick different items of waste depending on which bin they think it goes in.

Check out the links below to find a whole host of other resources where you can get ideas, resources, tools and information to help you teach pupils about waste:

• Young People’s Trust for the Environment – charity that provides free lesson plans on the environment and nature.
• Eco Schools – a simple environmental management system that empowers young people to introduce and lead environmental actions and education in their school.
• WRAP – Wrap works with businesses, governments, citizens and charities to make the planet a healthier, safer place.
• ReduceReuseRecycle – a magazine website dedicated to topics relating to green issues, recycling and the environment.
• Sparklebox – a website with thousands of free teaching resources for Early Years and Primary School teachers.
• Twinkl – a website with educational resources that can be used at each step of a child’s learning journey.
• Seed – sustainability and environmental education charity with resources that enable and empower children, young people, and adults to learn about sustainability and climate change at home.
• Keep Britain Tidy – charity that aims to eliminate litter, end waste and improve places.
• BBC Teach – website with thousands of free curriculum-mapped videos, arranged by age-group and subject.

It is illegal for businesses to dispose of their waste through local authority kerbside collections, street bins, local recycling banks or Community Recycling Centres (CRCs).

Business waste in Surrey can be disposed of in several ways:

• Taking it to one of three waste transfer stations in Surrey and paying for Suez to dispose of it
• Paying for a collection from your local district and borough council
• Paying for a collection from a private waste contractor

What is business waste?

Business waste is any waste that comes from a commercial activity. If you use part of your home to run your business then any waste from that part is business waste.

Business waste also includes any waste that comes from:

• Construction
• Demolition
• Industry
• Agriculture

For more details, please read the government’s guidance on how to dispose of business or commercial waste.

Taking business waste to a waste transfer station

Surrey residents and non-residents can take business waste to a waste transfer station, where it will be charged for.

Find out more about taking business waste to one of Surrey’s waste transfer stations by visiting Surrey County Council’s website.

Paying for a collection from your local borough council

Some district and borough councils offer paid-for business waste collections. Contact your local one to find out if they do.

Paying for a collection from a private waste contractor

All businesses can pay for a collection from a private waste contractor. Please check the contractor has a waste carrier’s licence and ensure that you understand your responsibilities as a business when disposing of business waste.