Businesses must pay for the collection and disposal of commercial waste. This includes any waste from a property providing self-catering accommodation.
This can include:
- your home
- annexe
- or caravan
if you rent these out.
The cost of commercial waste collections are not covered by paying your Council Tax or Business Rates.
All providers of holiday lets/accommodation in Cornwall will need to ensure their waste is paid for.
If you live at the same premises as your holiday accommodation, you are classed as a mixed property.
You must separate your waste into:
- household waste (from your property)
- commercial waste (from your guests)
Businesses have a duty of care by law to make sure their waste is managed correctly. It must be collected and disposed of by a licensed waste carrier. The right waste right place guide has been produced to help you follow the law.
What we offer
The council now offer a commercial waste collection service for properties used for self-catering accommodation.
The service is delivered by Biffa Municipal Ltd on behalf of Cornwall Council.
Our new commercial waste service currently provides:
- weekly general rubbish collection
- fortnightly recycling collection
The contract period is for 12 months.
Annual wheeled bin rubbish collections will be invoiced quarterly in advance.
Seasonal wheeled bin rubbish collections will be invoiced monthly in arrears.
Payments are made via direct debit.
All customers must put their rubbish and recycling at the kerbside, or agreed collection point, by 7am on each collection day. It is not possible to select a collection day as it will be the same as the households in the area.
You will receive a welcome pack for your guests to understand how to use the service.
Please ensure you read our full Terms and Conditions of the service.
Benefits of the service
- Reliable and efficient - we collect your commercial waste at the same time as we collect from the rest of your street.
- Sustainable - we use the same vehicles and crew as the Household Service. This reduces the number of vehicles on the road.
- VAT - as this is a Cornwall Council service our customers will not be charged VAT.
- Simple and quick quotation process - our online system makes getting a quote quick and straight forward.
How much will it cost?
The amount you pay will vary depending on the size of bin you choose and whether you pay Council Tax or Business Rates.
If you’re already paying Council Tax you will receive a discount on this service. This is because we recognise that you have already contributed an amount towards the cost of managing your rubbish and recycling.
Recycling collections are provided as part of your service and are included in the amount you pay. The cost will remain the same even if you do not use this service.
To find the cost of the service for your property you will need to request a quote.
Storing your rubbish and recycling
You will be provided with:
- a wheeled bin (240L) or single use sacks (90L) for your rubbish, and
- a set of coloured bags and a black box for your recycling, as well as tags to show your recycling collections are paid for
You will not be able to use your own bins for rubbish as it will not be branded or identifiable as commercial waste to the collection crews.
Additional rubbish and recycling will only be collected if it is prearranged, you will need to arrange this with Biffa Municipal Ltd. An additional collection fee will apply.
Request a quote
Annual customers
- Collections will take place all year round
- Use our online process to receive a quote.
- Your quote will be valid for 30 days
Seasonal customers
- If you are a seasonal customer (collections are not required year round) you will need to advise us when you wish your service to stop (i.e. end of October) and we will also ask you when you wish to re-start your waste collections (e.g. December 2021 or April 2022). One month's notice is required to stop your collections and you must sign-up for a minimum one month service period when you re-start your collections again.
- To request stopping and re-starting your service please contact the Council's Commercial Waste Team via our email: commercialwaste@cornwall.gov.uk with the following information: Property address, Biffa account number, when you wish to stop and re-start your collections. This information will be passed onto Biffa Municipal Ltd who will then arrange the request and invoice accordingly.
- Your rubbish and recycling will not be collected outside of your contract dates.
- Charges for the service are based on the number of collections you receive, i.e. you only pay for what you use.
- Your quote will be valid for 30 days.
Additional single use sacks and replacement bins
If you are an existing commercial waste collections customer, you can reorder more rolls of single use sacks on the form linked below. You can also use this form if your commercial waste bin needs to be repaired or replaced.Reorder sacks and request repair or replacement
Missed collections
If you have already signed up to this service, your commercial waste must be placed at your agreed collection point by 7.00 am on your collection day in the containers provided. If your rubbish or recycling has not been collected, you can report a missed collection to us using the link below.
Need help?
Most issues can be resolved online, it's the quickest and most convenient way to get help.
Use our contact us form- Refuse and recycling
- 0300 1234 141
