How to dispose of rubbish in Southwark

24 February 2022

The ultimate how to dispose of rubbish in Southwark guide. This is useful if you live in the following areas: Bankside, Bermondsey, Borough, Camberwell, Crystal Palace, Denmark Hill, Dulwich, East Dulwich, Elephant and Castle, Herne Hill, Honor Oak, Kennington, Nunhead, Peckham, Rotherhithe, Walworth and West Dulwich. Bulky waste is anything you want to get rid of that's too big for your wheelie bins.

Key sections are:

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

1. Reuse options in Southwark

Unless the item is beyond saving, the most cost efficient and eco-friendly way to dispose of something is to donate it for reuse. You can either give your stuff to someone within your network for free. Or, instead, you can find a local reuse charity.

Donate to a Person

Assuming no one wants what you are trying to get rid of, a simple way to donate the item is to list it on LoveJunk and tick the 'reusable' box. This notifies reusers based in or around your location. As a result, of ticking the reusable box, if the item catches a reuser's eye, they will send you an offer via the LoveJunk app to pick it up. The process is free and super easy.

Charities and organisations for Reuse in Southwark

Below is a list of local Southwark Reuse charities that collect furniture and large working appliances for free. It's important to note that response times and service levels may vary for these organisations.

Reuse Orgs	Address
BHF	211-219, Old Kent Rd, London, SE1 5LU
Age UK Lewisham and Southwark	95 Southwark Park Rd, London, SE16 3TY
InUse ReUse	51 Lilford Rd, Vassal, London, SE5 9HY
Little Village Southwark	40 Stuart Rd, SE15 3BE
Marys Living & Giving	90 Bermondsey St, SE1 3UB
Remar Furniture Store	243 Southwark Park Rd, London, SE16 3TS
The Mind Shop	246 Southwark Park Rd, SE16 3RN
Traid	14-16 Rye Ln, London, SE15 5BS
United St Saviour's Charity	16 Crucifix Ln, London, SE1 3JW

Remember that charities require upholstered furniture donations to have fire labels still intact. If you don't find a good reuse solution, check out Furniture Removal Southwark.

2. Council bulky item collection service in Southwark

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

Cost of Southwark council bulky waste collection service

Charges for Southwark council bulky waste collection service:

£35.00 to collect 1 - 10 items

Additional information:

Response time: typical wait times are 2 - 3 weeks
Concessions: no concessions available
Appliances: will collect appliances
DIY/ home improvement waste: DIY waste is accepted
Garden waste: garden waste collections are accepted

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

3. Use a private licensed man & van waste collector

If you can't use the council bulky waste collection service or donate your item, you will most likely need a licensed man & van rubbish collector. Both the council collection service and man and van waste contractors will visit your property, load up your junk, and finally, take it away for disposal.

The main differences between man and van waste collectors and the council's bulky collection service are the following three points. 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.

Always make sure that waste collectors are fully licensed with the Environment Agency to avoid cowboy operators and fly tipping!

Cheapest bulky waste collector in Southwark

Find local, fully licensed rubbish clearance businesses in Southwark, with LoveJunk, the waste removal and junk reuse marketplace. LoveJunk vets all waste collectors and provides full details of where your waste ends up and how much of it avoids going to landfill. Just post a picture of your waste to receive instant, free and no obligation quotes. Choose the best one and pay securely online only after collection. No fly tipping guaranteed!

5. Skip hire in Southwark

Another means of Southwark 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 Southwark.

Skip Hire Bermondsey

Street Skip Hire

Local Skip Hire Bankside

Skip Along Waste

Sloane Skip Hire

Skip hire prices in Southwark

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

Builder skip: 6 – 8 cubic yard skip @ £275 - £295

Maxi skip: 10 - 12 cubic yard skip @ £365 - £385

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 Southwark: £82.50 per month

CPZ Bay Suspension: £40.00 per day

Here is a link to the Southwark council website for skip permits: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/business/licences/skip-licence

6. Tips & HWRCs in the Southwark 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, we have provided a map of the council tip in Southwark and some useful extra information.

A map of the Southwark tip

Household waste recycling centre for Southwark residents:

Southwark Reuse and Recycling Centre - 43 Devon St, London SE15 1AL
Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm

Useful additional info:

Booking: required
Photo identification: Visitors must display a valid resident permit and ID on arrival which shows your Southwark address, such as a current UK photo-card driving license
Unloading: Site staff cannot help overall unless you have proof of a disability
Cars: Booking times for cars between 10 am and 4 pm each day
Vans: Van bookings are restricted to 8.30 am to 9.30 am each day
Rules: Trade (commercial) waste is not accepted

Finally,

Thanks for reading! We hope you found our how to dispose of rubbish in Southwark guide useful. You might also like:

The Ultimate Rubbish Clearance Guide: How to Dispose of Rubbish

Junk Diaries

How to dispose of rubbish in Southwark

5 ways to dispose of bulky waste in Southwark