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Types of waste

DIY waste

DIY waste is not the same as the household waste. It is classed as ‘construction and demolition’ waste and falls under the category of ‘industrial’ waste.

This type of waste includes:

  • Timber - including kitchen units, fitted furniture, doors, laminate flooring and floorboards, sheds, fence panels, decking, garden structures
  • Rubble - including sinks, toilets, bricks, concrete, stones, tiles
  • Flat glass - including glass from windows and doors, greenhouses, shower screens
  • Plasterboard - all plasterboard and plaster
  • General - including roofing felt, plastic guttering, fibreglass insulation

This means that no DIY waste should be placed in your black bin.

If any DIY waste is found in your bin, then the crew may not empty it. They will be unable to return until your next scheduled collection date.

How to dispose of DIY waste

In North Somerset there are a range of options to choose from for DIY disposal. These can include:

  • hiring a skip
  • employing a licenced waste carrier
  • take it to the nearest recycling centre

Recycling centres

Under current government legislation, councils do not have to accept industrial waste at their recycling centres. We can also legally charge for materials that are not household waste.

This is based on the relevant legislation:

  • The Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part 2, section 51 requires the County Council to provide residents with sites for the disposal of household waste
  • The Local Authority Charging Order 2015 prohibits charging residents for the disposal of household waste or for entering or exiting recycling centres
  • Controlled Waste Regulations 2012, Schedule 1, Part 3 classes construction and demolition waste (or DIY waste, as we refer to it) as industrial waste, and not household waste, and therefore we can make a charge for it.

Please note our recycling centres charge small processing fee for DIY materials.  For more information, visiting our recycling centre pages.

Home contractors and waste disposal companies

If someone else is doing the work in your home:

  • any construction or demolition work created by an external contractor is classed as commercial waste
  • it is the legal responsibility of the person or business doing the work to dispose of any waste generated

Before you hire someone to work in your home:

  • find out how they plan to recycle or dispose of the waste
  • make sure that disposal costs are included in their quote

If someone removes rubbish for you, paid or not, it is your responsibility to ensure they have the appropriate paperwork, such as a waste carrier’s licence and a waste transfer note.

If they fly-tip your waste, you could be liable for a fine.

Check if your contractor has the right waste disposal licence on the Environment Agency's public register.

GOV.UK website - access the public register for environmental information

Fly tipping

For more information about fly-tipping and a householder's duty of responsibility around waste, see our fly-tipping page.

North Somerset Council - Fly-tipping webpage