How to dispose of rubbish in Hackney

18 February 2022

The ultimate how to dispose of rubbish in Hackney guide. For when you have rubbish that is too big to fit in your regular wheelie bins (e.g. furniture like sofas or armchairs, big appliances like fridges or a mattress, rubble etc). Key sections are:

Reuse options
Council bulky waste collection service in Hackney
Rubbish clearance collectors - man & van - with examples and prices
Skip hire providers, skip hire prices and local skip permit fees
HWRCs / tips / civic amenity sites for Hackney residents

1. Reuse options in Hackney

Unless the item is beyond repair, the cheapest and most eco-friendly way to dispose of something is to donate it for reuse in Hackney. You can either give your stuff to someone within your network for free. Or, instead, you can find a local reuse charity. These charities will either give the items to someone in need or alternatively sell them and use the proceeds for their charitable cause. By the way, if you want to donate upholstered furniture to a charity, the item will need a fire safety certificate.

Donate to a Person

Assuming a friend or relative doesn't want the item, a simple and cost-effective way to donate is to list the item on LoveJunk and tick the 'reusable' box. This notifies reusers based in or around your location, and, as a result, if the item catches a reusers eye, they will then send you an offer via the LoveJunk app to pick it up. Again, the process is free and super easy.

Charities for Reuse in Hackney

Below is a list of local Hackney Reuse charities and organisations that collect furniture and large working appliances for free. Response times and service levels may vary unless they are large national organisations.

Reuse Organisations	Address
Barnet Furniture Centre	4 Queens Parade Cl, London, N11 3FY
BHF	436 Holloway Road, Islington, London, UK, N7 6QA
Bright Sparks	176 Seven Sisters Rd, Finsbury Park, London, N7 7PX
Charity Shop Furniture Store	191 Park Ln, London, N17 0HJ
Hackney Food Bank	446 Green Lanes, London, N13 5XD
Little Village	Community Association, 150 Ossulston St, London, NW1
Mary's Living and Giving	155 Stoke Newington Church St, London, N16 0UH
Past Caring	54 Essex Rd, London, N1 8LR
Prideaux House Charity Shop London	407 Mare St, London, E8 1HY
Salvation Army	70 Mare St, Cambridge Heath Rd, Cambridge Heath, E8 4RT
St Vincent Community	484-486 Kingsland Rd, London, E8 4AE
Sue Ryder	72 Essex Rd, London, N1 8LT

If for any reason your furniture is unsuitable for donation (and you don't find anyone else to reuse) check out Furniture Removal Hackney.

2. Council bulky item collection service in Hackney

The council in Hackney offers residents a collection service for bulky items. However, the service is not available to local businesses or tradespeople. Regarding the full details of Hackney's bulky waste collection service, including how to book, please see below.

Cost of Hackney council bulky waste collection service

Charges for Hackney council bulky waste collection service:

1 to 5 items: £15.00
6 to 10 items: £30.00

Additional information:

Response time: typical wait times are 2 - 3 weeks

Concessions: residents who receive housing benefits do not have to pay

Appliances: council collects appliances but not American style fridges

DIY/ home improvement waste: waste from renovations or redecoration need to be collected via commercial waste collection. Rubble, masonry and tiles, fencing and carpet will not be collected.

Garden waste: garden waste collections are accepted

More details: despite this comprehensive list, for full details of Hackney's bulky waste collection service, click here.

3. Use a private licensed man & van waste collectors

If you can't donate your item or don't want to use the council bulky waste collection service, you will most likely need a licensed man & van rubbish collector.

The main differences between man and van waste collectors and the council's bulky collection service are the following. Firstly, speed is a significant factor, as a private man and van waste collector can respond much faster than the council. Secondly, labour, as collectors will collect from anywhere inside or outside the home, and lastly, types of waste, as private waste collectors can take all kinds of junk, including rubble and garden waste.

Make sure that any waste carrier you hire is Environment Agency licensed and holds valid public liability insurance. This is to avoid cowboy operators who fly tip rubbish and pocket the profit!

Cheapest bulky waste collector in Hackney

Find licensed man & van waste collector businesses in Hackney using The LoveJunk marketing. Simply post a picture of your waste and receive no obligation quotes from local waste collectors (and reusers if your waste is reusable!). We have done the hard work by ensuring any collectors using the platform are correctly licensed and insured. LoveJunk also provides full details of where your waste ends up and how much of it avoids going to landfill (98% avoids landfill on average!).

4. Skip hire in Hackney

Another means of Hackney rubbish clearance is skip hire. Skips are helpful if, for example, you have lots of cumbersome, messy waste and would like to contain it all in one place. But, unlike a man & van collection, you need to load the skip yourself, and the price is fixed regardless of how much you fill it. Skip hire is also significantly more expensive than using a man & van waste collector because of the permits and license fees on top. For a look at skip hire in greater detail, please read our Ultimate Guide to Skip Hire for more information.

Local skip hire companies

In general, it is good to use a licensed skip hire company that serves your local area. Here are some of the local skip hire companies within the borough of Hackney.

Skip Hire Hackney

Skip Hire Kingsland

Enviro Skip Hire

Large Skip Hire Homerton

Skip Hire Celtic Hackney

Skip hire prices in Hackney

Below you'll find the typical skip hire prices (including VAT) for mixed general waste in Hackney but to clarify, these figures do not include skip permits or parking bay suspension fees.

Builder skip: 6 – 8 cubic yard skip @ £265 - £290

Maxi skip: 10 - 12 cubic yard skip @ £350 - £370

Skip Permits and Bay Suspensions

If you want to place a skip on the road, you will definitely need a skip permit license and possibly a CPZ parking suspension. For more information regarding skip permits, take a look at our Guide to Skip Permits and Bay Suspensions.

Skip License Hackney: £100.00 for 4 weeks

CPZ Bay Suspension: £34.00 per day

Here is a link to the Hackney council website for skip permits: skip-licence

5. Tips & HWRCs in the Hackney area

If you have means of transport (and the muscle!), a cheap way to dispose of your bulky waste is by taking your junk to your local council tip. However, council tips are only available to residents, not businesses. Below is a map of the 4 recycling centres in Hackney.

A map of Hackney tips

Household waste recycling centres for Hackney residents:

Islington, 40 Hornsey Street, N7 8HU. Opening hours: 9 am - 4 pm Monday to Sunday
Walthamstow, South Access Road, E17 8AX. Opening hours: 9 am - 4 pm Monday to Sunday
Leyton, Gateway Road, E10 5BY. Opening hours: 8.30 am - 4.30 pm Monday to Sunday
Wood Green, Western Road, N22 6UG. Opening hours: 9 am - 4 pm Monday to Sunday

Useful additional info:

Booking: You must book a time slot if you wish to visit by vehicle, bike or on foot.
Photo identification: Only for vans
Unloading: Site staff cannot help overall unless you have proof of a disability
Vans: Each site has a limit of 20 vans per day. Proof of residency, such as a utility bill, is an essential requirement
Rules: Residents are permitted to a maximum of 5 visits with a van or car with a trailer per financial year (1 April – 31 March)

Finally,

Thanks for reading! We hope you found our How to Dispose of Rubbish in Hackney guide useful. You might also like:

How to Dispose of Rubbish - a comprehensive guide to rubbish clearance

Junk Diaries