What is trade waste?

Trade waste is any kind of waste produced by commercial premises or business activities.

It also includes waste produced by people working from home or by labourers working on sites of any kind. It is classified as rubbish that’s produced in premises used mainly or wholly for the purpose of business or a trade, which also includes education, recreation and sports premises.

Different types of trade waste

Trade waste comes in lots of different forms and could be metal shavings, boxes, leftover wood or plastic packaging. Every type of business produces some kind of trade waste, but the five main categories are:

– Healthcare

A variety of healthcare trade waste is generated by lots of different organisations, including doctors, hospitals, care homes, dentists, teaching or research institutes, and veterinary surgeries. Waste ranges from dressings to sanitary protection and also includes medicines and syringes, chemicals and bodily fluids. Very often this type of waste has to be disposed of by specialists.

– Demolition/construction

This is waste from any kind of building material, for example, nails, bricks, concrete, wood, tiles, glass, paint, and copper wire.

– Electronic or electrical equipment

This type of waste includes light bulbs, batteries, discarded electrical products, TVs, fridges, and air conditioning units. Motors and power tools are also classed as electronic/electrical waste.

– Packaging/Recyclables

This type of waste can be plastic, cardboard, plastic, metal or textiles.

– Vehicle and oily waste

This type of trade waste comes from engineering and vehicle maintenance/dismantling and includes antifreeze, engine oil, brake fluids, car batteries, vehicle glass, fabrics, and airbags.

Trade waste may be classed as hazardous or non-hazardous. Hazardous trade waste can have a harmful effect on health and/or the environment and includes materials such as oil, asbestos, batteries and bodily materials which can be infectious.

Most trade waste, however, is classed as non-hazardous and can be disposed of using normal waste channels like commercial waste management providers.