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Main site > Forums > Work & Benefits > Employment, Jobseeking & Training > Odd job rubbish removal. Any help appreciated.
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      swingaloo
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    • swingaloo
    • By swingaloo 14th May 18, 3:11 PM
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    swingaloo
    Odd job rubbish removal. Any help appreciated.
    • #1
    • 14th May 18, 3:11 PM
    Odd job rubbish removal. Any help appreciated. 14th May 18 at 3:11 PM
    Is there anyone on here with experience of 'man and van' type rubbish collecting.
    I'm just trying to help out my young nephew so I'm posting on his behalf.

    He has a job at a supermarket but is hating every minute. Three months ago he spent the money he was saving for a holiday on a large van and has found that since he bought the van people have been asking for favours 'Can you pick up a wardrobe for me' etc.

    He has been happy to help but has been asked a few times to remove rubbish and go to the tip for people. He has had to refuse to do this as because he has the van and its not domestic waste from his own home he would need to pay at the recycling centre and its quite expensive.

    So he has started to look into how he could make it a part time job with a view to leaving his current employment if he gets enough work.

    Today he has made several phone calls to the local council, recycling centre and heaven knows where but the rules are confusing.

    If he lived in the next county 3 miles away he could get a permit enabling him to use the recycling centre free up to three times a month.
    In our county this permit does not exist and he would have to go on a weighbridge and be charged almost a hundred pounds for half a ton. Even that's confusing because there are different prices depending if the rubbish is paper, glass, garden waste etc which suggests he would have to keep everything separate and have to do multiple visits which wouldn't be economical.

    Presumably he would also need a licence to produce for any customers he may get as he would want to assure customers that he was going to dispose of their rubbish properly.

    He says its been a minefield finding info this morning. Every site seems to contradict what he has read on another. There is also some confusion regarding 'Trade Waste' and 'Commercial waste'.

    If he is picking up rubbish from a domestic property I assume that would not be classed as trade as opposed to if he picked something up from a local shop?
    Or, does it become trade waste at the point he takes it to the tip as he is being paid to collect it.

    If anyone reading this has any experience of doing this type of work then a bit of advice for me to give him would be great.

    He knows he has a lot of research to do but he is very keen to progress this and being 18 he tends to dive in and sadly he has no parents to help give advice.

    Thank you for reading.

    Sorry!

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      polgara
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    • By polgara 14th May 18, 3:15 PM
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      What's this?

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    • #2
    • 14th May 18, 3:15 PM
    • #2
    • 14th May 18, 3:15 PM
    Ensure that his van insurance also covers him for that kind of work (being 18 I can imagine his premiums will be quite steep)

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      andydownes123
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    • By andydownes123 14th May 18, 4:04 PM
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      What's this?

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    • #3
    • 14th May 18, 4:04 PM
    • #3
    • 14th May 18, 4:04 PM
    Most council tips would not allow a van to deposit rubbish. Has to be a car, otherwise they can't differentiate between trade and household rubbish.

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      bugslet
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    • By bugslet 14th May 18, 4:17 PM
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    • #4
    • 14th May 18, 4:17 PM
    • #4
    • 14th May 18, 4:17 PM
    My main business is haulage, but we have a waste carriers license so that we can dispose of one of our customers empty cases. I suspect that he would need a waste carriers license as well. Not very expensive and last for three years.

    What happens at the tip is separate to that and yes, they all have their own rules, it's a case of checking what each one wants.

    How does he currently insure his van? For personal use or for hire and reward - that will be expensive compared to personal use.

    I think as well to make things pay, is he needs to consider any 'value' in the items he picks up from peoples houses - some will be stright into landfill/recycling. Other stuff may be worth weighing in, or collecting until he has enough to weigh in. Some stuff might be a case of some TLC and he could sell it on.

    Good luck to him.

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      swingaloo
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    • By swingaloo 14th May 18, 4:57 PM
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      What's this?

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    • #5
    • 14th May 18, 4:57 PM
    • #5
    • 14th May 18, 4:57 PM
    Thank you for the replies. I don't know what it costs him for insurance but he does have it covered for business use.

    That's a good point about making some things pay with a little tlc and I could probably help with that.

    Sorry!

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      polgara
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    • By polgara 14th May 18, 5:03 PM
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    • #6
    • 14th May 18, 5:03 PM
    • #6
    • 14th May 18, 5:03 PM
    “
    Thank you for the replies. I don't know what it costs him for insurance but he does have it covered for business use.
    Originally posted by swingaloo ”
    Ahhh but what has he put as his business? For hire or reward isn't cheap

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    • By swingaloo 14th May 18, 5:59 PM
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    • #7
    • 14th May 18, 5:59 PM
    • #7
    • 14th May 18, 5:59 PM
    That I couldn't tell you as I don't know. I hope he makes something of it though as he was saving up to go to Australia with some mates for 6 months and he has decided to do this instead.

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      Fireflyaway
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    • By Fireflyaway 14th May 18, 6:33 PM
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    • #8
    • 14th May 18, 6:33 PM
    • #8
    • 14th May 18, 6:33 PM
    Bugslet is correct, he would need a waste carriers licence and would be charged for tipping commercial waste. That's partly why there is so much for tipping happening! Different councils have different rules and charges. It's worth learning them because you could inadvertently collect something that you then can't tip. Fridges, batteries, tryes, tv, chemicals etc are common ones. Then you need to consider your profit margin. He would be charged to tip by weight but for that you need to know how much weight you have collected so investing in a weight mechanism might be prudent. To be honest a lot of people won't want to pay. They might just tip the rubbish as a householder it's free or hire a skip.

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    • By dacouch 14th May 18, 8:09 PM
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    • #9
    • 14th May 18, 8:09 PM
    • #9
    • 14th May 18, 8:09 PM
    “
    Thank you for the replies. I don't know what it costs him for insurance but he does have it covered for business use.

    That's a good point about making some things pay with a little tlc and I could probably help with that.
    Originally posted by swingaloo ”
    He has it covered for carrying his own goods, when he is carrying over peoples goods for payment it is a different type of Insurance he needs which will be a fair amount more expensive.

    When you are stopped by the police in a commercial vehicle, the first thing they will ask you is where you are going and then they will always look in the back of the van. Traffic police are very good at discovering van drivers who do not have the correct insurance and if he is stopped it is very likely the police will discover he does not have the correct insurance. This will result in a conviction for no insurance and the vehicle being impounded until he can provide the correct insurance.

    The trade he is in is renowned for the owner drivers not having the correct insurance so the police are especially hot on checking their insurance

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      TELLIT01
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    • By TELLIT01 15th May 18, 12:28 PM
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    TELLIT01
    Much as I admire his wish to find work he thinks he will enjoy, waste movement is an area which seems to be fraught with difficulty. Not least the fact that people don't want to pay the true cost of its removal and disposal. Add in the licences, insurance, weight checks etc is it really the right direction to go?

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    • By Fireflyaway 15th May 18, 12:38 PM
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      What's this?

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    If he is fit and up for working outdoors he could see if the council need bin men. Many councils struggle to recruit for these roles. It's not as badly paid as you might think.

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      Pensioned Off
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    • By Pensioned Off 15th May 18, 7:27 PM
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    Pensioned Off
    I very much doubt standard 'business use' will cover the use of a van used in removals and waste disposal.

    Sorry!

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      Xbigman
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    • By Xbigman 15th May 18, 9:22 PM
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    But its not only waste movement. If he does removals he would need insurance to cover the items being moved. If he also provides labour (local man with a van will pick up fence panels and help fit them) he needs public liability insurance. Working out exactly what services to provide is the first step, insuring for that service is the second step. Actually getting work is the third step.

    Nothing is simple in this country.



    Darren
    Xbigman's guide to a happy life.

    Eat properly
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    • By weavedribbon 16th May 18, 4:28 PM
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    weavedribbon
    Given the difficulties everyone has outlined, what about him looking into other ways to use the van. Couriering maybe?

    Sorry!

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    • By LilElvis 16th May 18, 8:16 PM
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      What's this?

    LilElvis
    “
    If he is fit and up for working outdoors he could see if the council need bin men. Many councils struggle to recruit for these roles. It's not as badly paid as you might think.
    Originally posted by Fireflyaway ”
    Waste collection is outsourced to companies such as Veolia and FCC Environment - councils haven't operated these services for years.The civic amenity sites and landfills are also all privately owned or franchised.

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