Office Clearance Slough

The Brief · Slough

Office Clearance for Slough

Slough Borough Council runs a waste site that businesses are allowed to use. At its Chalvey depot there are two separate entrances. The second gate leads up to the household recycling centre, which is closed to all trade waste. The first gate leads down to a commercial transfer station with a weighbridge, where firms can tip general waste at commercial rates. Clearing an office in Slough therefore comes down to two things: getting the waste to a legal site, and keeping the records the law demands. The council's guidance is blunt about the risks. Business waste taken to the household tip or a recycling bank counts as fly-tipping, and a company can be prosecuted even if its own carrier dumped the load. Here is how the borough's rules apply to an office clearance, from desks and files to IT equipment.

The council defines commercial waste as waste from premises used for a trade or business, or for sport, recreation or entertainment. Every business has a duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991. In practice, that means storing waste securely, signing a trade refuse agreement with an authorised carrier, and completing a waste transfer note describing the waste. All of those records must be kept for two years. The council warns that a business can be prosecuted if it cannot produce them.

The Chalvey commercial transfer station opens Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm, and Saturday from 7.30am to midday, with last entry 15 minutes before closing. It is closed on Sundays and bank holidays. Traders must show their waste carrier's licence at the weighbridge when they tip. It takes general waste and garden waste for composting. For regular bins, the council also runs a trade collection, emptied daily, weekly or fortnightly.

IT kit needs extra thought. Under the WEEE Regulations 2013, producers fund the treatment of business electrical waste put on the market from 13 August 2005. A firm and a producer can agree other terms. If the clearance includes any clinical waste, the council says businesses must make their own separate arrangements for it.