Guide to Our Recycling Process | Speedy Skips

Ever wondered how the recycling process actually works at Speedy Skips? Our waste handling process is designed to maximise recycling and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

We’ll take you through our step-by-step process of how we actually manage to recycle over 90% of all materials brought into our facility.

At Speedy Skips, we’ve been serving Gloucestershire and the surrounding area with skips and waste management services for 40 years. Our aim is to achieve the highest environmental goals and standards possible.

How does Recycling Work at Speedy Skips?

What happens to your waste after your commercial skip is collected? Rather than sending it straight off to landfill, we transport your waste to our Materials Recovery Facility in Gloucester. Here, it goes through a detailed sorting and recycling process designed to recover as much usable material as possible and divert waste from landfill.

The Speedy Skips Recycling Process

1. Waste is disposed of in your skip

It all starts with your skip. Whether you’re using it for clearing a house, renovating a property or working on a construction project. We accept a wide range of waste, including commercial waste, plasterboard, wood, cardboard, stones and soil.

For a full breakdown of what you can/can’t put into a skip, check out this article here>>

2. Waste is collected and transported

Once your skip is full, we will come collect and transport the waste to our recycling and waste management facility in Gloucester.

It’s important to note that your waste isn’t simply taken straight to landfill; instead, it’s taken to our Materials Recovery Centre, where it begins its process of becoming something usable again.

3. Screening and sieving to separate the waste.

One of the first stages of the recycling process is screening and sieving.

This process helps to separate materials depending on their size, allowing us to direct waste into relevant parts of the recycling process.

This stage is incredibly important when dealing with mixed waste skips, where there’s a vast variety of materials all in together.

 4. Magnets and eddy currents recover metal

In the next stage, we use a range of magnets and eddy current separation as part of the process to help recover metals from the mixed waste, rather than allowing these valuable materials to end up in residual waste. This way, they can be separated and sent on for further processing.

5. Manual sorting separates recyclable materials

You can’t always rely on technology. At Speedy Skips, we also use manual picking to help separate materials. 

With the combination of mechanical and manual sorting, this allows us to separate into individual materials such as wood, plastic, metals and more. This stage is key to ensuring as much usable material as possible can be recovered.

6. Crushing, screening and washing

The next stage sees suitable construction waste go through a process of crushing, screening and washing. This process allows a variety of construction waste to be recycled into sustainable aggregate, rather than being unnecessarily sent off to landfill. 

Stone, soil, bricks and concrete can be processed into useful recycled aggregates for construction. This reduces the need for newly quarried materials and gives suitable waste a second life. 

7. Recovered materials are sent off for reuse

Once the waste has gone through our rigorous process and been separated, the recovered materials will have a new destination. Materials such as metals, cardboard and timber will then be sent off to continue their recycling journey! 

This well-designed process has one goal: keep as much waste as possible out of landfill.

A Better Alternative to Landfill

The environmental difference between recycling and landfill is significant. For every tonne of waste, sending it to landfill produces around 520 kgCO2e, compared with just 120 kgCO2e when it’s processed through our Materials Recovery Centre. This is a reduction of 77% in carbon emissions, which is significant. 

With over 90% of the material handled by us being recycled, choosing a recycled waste solution means less waste going to landfill, fewer associated carbon emissions and more materials getting a second life.

Ready to Make a Better Choice for Your Waste?

When you choose Speedy Skips, you’re choosing more than just a skip. You’re choosing a waste management service that is committed to recycling as much of your waste as possible, and reducing the amount that ends up in landfill.  

So, whether you’re renovating a property, working on a construction project, or just in need of a general waste skip, choosing Speedy Skips for your skip hire has a much greater environmental impact on your waste. 

Get in touch with the team today to find the right skip for your project and help make a difference.