Why You Should Call Us Instead of a White Van Man

A leaflet through the door or a post on a local social media group offers to take your rubbish away today, cash in hand, for a price well below anyone else. Some of these operators are properly registered. Many are not, and if an unregistered collector dumps your waste in a lane or lay-by, the law can come back to you. Using a registered clearance company costs a little more because the waste goes somewhere legal, and that protects you.

This guide explains the risks, how to check a waste carrier on the SEPA register, the red flags to watch for and what a proper firm should provide.

Your rubbish is still your responsibility

In Scotland, householders have a duty of care for their own waste. You must only give it to an authorised person, such as a waste carrier registered with SEPA or a licensed or permitted site. If you hand it to someone who is not authorised and it is later fly-tipped, you can be held responsible.

The penalties are significant. Under the Fly-tipping (Fixed Penalty) (Scotland) Order 2023, the fixed penalty for fly-tipping rose from £200 to £500 on 1 January 2024. If a case goes to court, the fine on conviction can reach £40,000, and imprisonment is possible. Our post about fly-tipping and the law covers this in more detail.

Fly-tipping also harms communities. Dumped sofas, mattresses and bags of rubbish in back lanes attract vermin, cost councils money to clear and make neighbourhoods feel neglected. When it happens on private land, the landowner is left to deal with it, which is why we offer a fly-tipping clearance service in Glasgow.

How to check a waste carrier on the SEPA register

Checking takes a couple of minutes and is the single best way to protect yourself:

1. Ask the collector for their waste carrier registration number and the name the registration is held under.
2. Search SEPA's public register of waste carriers for that name or number.
3. Make sure the name on the register matches the business you are dealing with.
4. If they cannot or will not give you the details, do not hand over your waste.

A legitimate business will be happy to provide this information. Hesitation or excuses are a warning sign in themselves.

Red flags to watch for

• Cash only, no receipt. A proper firm gives you paperwork. No paperwork means no record of where your waste went.
• A price that seems too good to be true. Legal disposal costs money. A very low price often means those costs are being skipped.
• No business details. No company name, no address and only a mobile number or a social media page.
• No questions about the load. A professional will want to know what you have, because some items need special handling.
• Happy to take anything. Offers to take paint, chemicals or asbestos without hesitation suggest the waste is not going anywhere suitable.
• Vague answers about where it goes. If they cannot tell you which site or depot your waste is going to, assume the worst.
• Cold calling at the door. Be wary of anyone knocking to offer to take rubbish from your garden or driveway.

What a proper clearance firm provides

Before you book any company, it is worth asking a few straightforward questions. Our list of questions to ask a house clearance company goes into more depth, but as a minimum you should expect:

• Waste carrier registration you can check on SEPA's register.
• Insurance they are willing to show you before the job.
• A clear quote based on what you actually need removed, agreed before work starts.
• Paperwork once the job is done. Businesses also need a waste transfer note.
• A known destination for your waste, such as a depot where it is sorted for recycling.
• Honesty about limits. A reputable firm will tell you what it cannot take and point you to the right specialist.

Why the cheapest quote can cost you more

Saving money on a clear out is understandable, especially after a house move or a bereavement, when costs are already high. But the cheapest collector is only cheap if the job ends legally. If your waste is traced back to you from a fly-tip, you can be held responsible under the duty of care, and any saving disappears quickly once you are dealing with the council. A slightly higher quote from a registered firm is the safer choice.

Why call Jettison Express

Jettison Express is a registered waste carrier based in Glasgow, and we are glad for any customer to check us on SEPA's register. We have over 65 combined years of industry experience, more than 780 completed projects and a recycling rate of over 90%. Our accreditations include ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, SafeContractor approval and Living Wage Employer status, and we won a Build Lanarkshire award in 2023.

When you book us, you can expect:

• up-front rates, agreed before we start
• a call ahead when our uniformed team is on its way
• dismantling of larger furniture and lifting of carpets and flooring
• a final sweep and tidy of the cleared area
• everything taken to our depot to be sorted for recycling
• paperwork left once the job is complete

We remove non-hazardous waste only. If you have asbestos, we will tell you so and recommend a licensed asbestos contractor rather than taking a risk.

We cover Glasgow, Edinburgh and towns across central Scotland. See our house clearances in Glasgow, our Edinburgh house clearance service or, for smaller loads, our junk removal service.

For a quote from a registered company, contact Jettison Express or call 0333 880 6800, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.