Plan to take your rubbish away with you. Don't count on a bin or skip for customers at any of our sites. Our terms rule out leaving rubbish in the shared areas. Our storage guidance rules out keeping household waste in your unit. Bring a few bags, take everything home or to your council's tip, and if a bin at your site would change your plans, call us on 0800 2545585 before you visit. Moving house, running a business or clearing out a relative's unit? Each has its own section below.
What our terms say about rubbish
From our storage terms (the licence agreement), quoted exactly:
| Clause | What it says | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| 22(g) | You shall not "create any obstruction or leave items or refuse in any common space within the Facility" | Don't leave bags, boxes or packaging anywhere shared |
| 23 | "You must maintain the Unit by ensuring it is clean and in good repair during the Storage Period." | Keep the unit clean the whole time you have it, not only on the last day |
| 23 (continued) | "In the event of uncleanliness or damage to the Unit or Facility, We will be entitled to retain the Deposit, charge a Cleaning Fee, and/or claim full reimbursement from You of the reasonable costs of repairs, replacement, restoration, proper compensation or disposal of refuse." | If we have to clear or clean up after you, you can be charged for it |
| 11 | "Any items left unattended in common areas at the Facility or outside Your Unit at any time shall be treated as abandoned and may at Our discretion be moved, sold or disposed of immediately with no liability to Us." | Anything left in a corridor or outside your unit, rubbish or not, can be cleared straight away |
| 41 | "In the event that Goods and/or rubbish are left in the Unit after the Termination Date, Clauses 7 and 23 will apply." | Rubbish left behind is treated like any other goods left behind (clause 7), and clause 23 applies |
| 18(c) | You must not store "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases" | Old paint tins shouldn't be in the unit at all |
| 18(e) | You must not store "chemicals, radioactive materials, biological agents, toxic waste, asbestos or other potentially hazardous substances" | "Toxic waste" is the only waste the terms' list of prohibited goods names |
Clause 7, which clause 41 points to, lets us treat anything left after your agreement ends as abandoned and sell or dispose of it under clauses 8 to 10. Clause 8 says we give you written notice first, but clause 10 lets us dispose of goods that aren't worth selling, and of severely damaged goods without your prior approval, sending written notice within 7 days of assessing them. Clause 7 also makes you liable for storage fees until it's sold or disposed of "together with any costs of disposal incurred". When you book, you pay a refundable deposit of two weeks' rent at your unit's standard weekly rate.
Can I keep rubbish in my unit for now?
Not household waste, anything that will rot, or old paint and other flammables. Clause 18(e) only names "toxic waste", but our guide to what you can and can't store goes further for everyday rubbish. Under the heading "No food, perishables or waste", it lists: "Opened or unsealed food, anything that will decay, household waste, compost." The reason is pests, which "do not respect the walls between units". The terms also bar "any item that emits fumes, or odours" (clause 18(f)). For paint, the guide's advice is: "Use up the paint or take it to a household waste site that accepts it." Flattened boxes you're keeping for your next move are packing materials, not rubbish.
Where to take household rubbish
GOV.UK's guide to disposing of household waste sets out the options in England:
- Your bins at home, for everyday household rubbish: GOV.UK says "Most household waste can go in the bins provided by your local council".
- The tip: take it "to your local recycling centre (or 'tip')". Find your local council to check opening times and what it takes. Some councils ask for proof you live in the area, a booked slot or a van permit: Staffordshire, for example, asks for proof of residency for a van permit, and Gloucestershire asks you to book a slot.
- A private waste site: GOV.UK lists the option to "take your waste to a permitted private waste site".
- A council collection for large items: GOV.UK says most councils will collect "things like old sofas, fridges or washing machines for a fee".
- A private collector, skip or clearance firm: GOV.UK says "you must check the company is on the register of waste carriers" (select "upper tier"). "You could be fined if you give your household waste to someone who is not legally allowed to take it."
- Reuse: charity shops or selling on for anything usable, and GOV.UK says you can "give old electrical items to retailers when you buy new electrical items from them with the same function" (a broken microwave, say). For old paint, see the guide's advice above.
Cardboard boxes and packing materials
This section is about packing from a house move: packaging from a business, such as online orders, is business waste, covered in the business section below. Good boxes are worth keeping: flatten them and they'll do another move, or pass them on to a friend, neighbour or local group who's about to pack. Damaged cardboard goes in your council's recycling at home or to the tip. Clean bubble wrap and packing paper can be kept for the next move like boxes; if you're throwing them away, check your council's website for which of them its recycling takes. Don't stack any of it in a corridor for later: clause 22(g) rules that out.
Business and trade waste
GOV.UK says "Any waste that comes from a commercial activity is business waste", and its business waste guide says you must:
- "check if your waste carrier is registered to dispose of waste";
- "complete a waste transfer note for each load of waste that leaves your premises".
If you sell from home, GOV.UK adds: "If you use part of your home to run your business then any waste from that part is business waste." If your waste includes leftover oils, solvents or other chemicals, GOV.UK says "You have extra responsibilities if you’re dealing with hazardous waste".
If you want to take your own business waste away, GOV.UK says "You must register as a waste carrier if you want to dispose of your own waste regularly", and registration "is usually free if you only transport waste you produce yourself". Council tips can refuse business waste: Gloucestershire, for example, says "It is an offence to bring commercial or trade waste to our HRCs" (household recycling centres). If you're clearing a property you let out, ask your council whether it counts as business waste before taking it to the tip. If you pack orders or keep trade stock in your unit, plan how packaging waste leaves with you on each visit, because neither the unit nor the shared areas can hold it.
Clearing out someone else's unit
The same rules apply when you empty a unit for a relative or someone who can't do it themselves, and any clearance firm must be on the register of waste carriers; our guide on whether to store furniture, sell it or give it away helps with what to keep.
Clearing out your unit when you leave
When you move out, clause 41 asks you to "remove all Goods in the Unit before the close of business on the Termination Date and leave the Unit in a clean condition and in a good state of repair to the satisfaction of Us". Our short FAQ on how to move out of your unit covers giving notice. Bring a brush and bin bags on the last visit.
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