Navigate the yard
Service · Field
We come to the pile so your team never touches it twice.
Empties accumulate in the same corner of every plant, and moving them is nobody's job. Our crew arrives with a truck and a plan: sort by size and prior contents, separate the units with resale value from the reclaim stock, wrap, load and leave the yard clear — with a payment where the load justifies one.
Short answer
Scheduled or one-off pickup with on-site sorting, wrapping and loading included. Loads with resale value usually net a payment; reclaim-only loads may carry a charge, quoted before dispatch.
- Cadence
- One-off or scheduled
- Sorting
- Included
- Lead time
- 48 hr – 1 week
- Mixed loads
- Accepted
Form 01 · Spec request
Book a collection.
Rough count in the quantity field, site postal code, and anything unusual about access in the message. We will confirm whether the load pays you or costs you before we dispatch.
On the day
What actually happens when the truck arrives.
- 01
Check in
Driver follows your site process — gate, induction, PPE, escort, whatever applies. Tell us in advance and it takes five minutes instead of forty.
Arrival - 02
Sort
Units graded on the spot by size, bottle condition, cage condition and prior contents. Resale stock separated from reclaim stock as we go.
On site - 03
Load
Pinwheeled or stacked as the trailer allows, strapped, wrapped where needed. Counts confirmed with your representative before departure.
On site - 04
Settle
Purchase record issued against the confirmed count and grade split, plus a diversion statement if you want the reuse figures.
After
What we take
Collection scope.
If it came off an IBC, we will probably take it. Mixed loads are normal rather than exceptional.
| Item | Accepted | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 275 / 330 gallon composite totes | Yes | Any grade, any condition |
| 550 gallon and oversize units | Yes | May require flatbed |
| Bare cages and pallet frames | Yes | Valuable as rebottling stock |
| Stainless steel IBCs | Yes | Valued as vessels, not as scrap |
| Loose valves, lids, adapters | Yes | Sorted and reused where serviceable |
| Plastic drums and closed-head containers | Case by case | Tell us the count and contents |
| Containers with regulated residue | By arrangement | Must be declared before dispatch |
| Containers holding rainwater and unknowns | By arrangement | Weight and disposal route matter |
Help us help you
What speeds a collection up
- Stage the units in one place with forklift access
- Separate anything with unknown or regulated contents
- Have someone available to confirm the count before departure
- Tell us about weight limits, low doors and tight turns in advance
- Send a photo of the pile — it changes the equipment we bring
Questions
Collection, answered.
01Do we have to sort them before you arrive?
No. Sorting on site is part of the service and our crew is faster at it than yours will be. If your team has already sorted by size and prior contents, the collection is quicker and usually worth more per unit — but it is not a requirement.
02Is collection free?
It depends on what you have. A load with resale value usually nets you a payment after collection costs. A load of unknown-contents containers destined for reclaim may carry a charge. We tell you which before the truck is booked, not after.
03Can you collect on a schedule?
Yes. Recurring collection on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly cadence is common for plants that generate empties continuously, and it removes the internal argument about who deals with the pile.
04What about sites with no forklift?
Tell us in advance. We can send equipment or crew, but a driver arriving alone at a site with forty totes and no forklift is a wasted trip for both of us.
05Do you clear whole facilities?
Regularly. Plant closures, line changes and site consolidations are a large part of what we do — including mixed loads of totes, drums, cages, pallets and loose fittings.
Site readiness
What changes a collection from routine to wasted.
Every item below has, at some point, sent a truck away empty. All of them are solved by one sentence in an email.
| Condition | Why it matters | If unstated | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulated or hazardous residue | Changes the route, paperwork and sometimes the vehicle | Driver cannot lawfully load | One line in the enquiry |
| No forklift on site | 145 lb per unit; not hand-loadable | Wasted trip | We bring equipment or crew |
| No hard standing | Trailer cannot be positioned | Wasted trip | Stage to an accessible area |
| Containers part-full of rainwater | Weight and disposal route change | Load exceeds plan | Drain and cap before collection |
| Site induction required | Adds 5 or 40 minutes | Delay, possible detention | Send the process in advance |
| Tight approach or low overheads | 53-ft van needs room | Driver cannot reach the pile | Photograph the approach |
| Hard removal deadline | Determines whether a lane works | Missed date | Tell us early; we will be honest |
| Mixed non-container waste | Turns a purchase into a disposal job | Load re-priced on arrival | Separate before we come |
On the day
What our crew does while they are on your site.
Sorting is included. Our crew is faster at it than yours will be, and a sorted load is a load we can price properly.
| Stage | What happens | Your involvement | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check in | Gate, induction, PPE, escort as your site requires | Point of contact available | 5–40 min |
| Assess | Walk the pile, confirm the count against the enquiry | None | 10 min |
| Sort | Grade by size, bottle condition, cage condition and prior contents | None | 30–90 min |
| Separate | Resale stock split from reclaim stock as we go | None | Concurrent |
| Load | Pinwheeled or stacked as the trailer allows, strapped, wrapped where needed | None | 30–60 min |
| Confirm | Counts agreed with your representative before departure | Sign off | 5 min |
| Settle | Purchase record with counts and grades; diversion statement on request | Receive documents | Same day |
Recurring collection
When a schedule beats a one-off.
Set up a rhythm when
- Your plant generates empties continuously rather than in bursts.
- The pile has become somebody's unofficial responsibility and nobody's actual job.
- You are running out of staging space every few months.
- Containers are sitting outdoors long enough to collect rain, which moves them from reusable to reclaim.
- You want the reuse figures for reporting and need them on a consistent basis.
What a schedule changes
| One-off | Scheduled | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per unit | Higher | Lower — rides a planned lane |
| Lead time | 48 hr – 1 week | Fixed date |
| Grade split | Worse — stock has aged | Better — collected fresh |
| Rain ingress | Common | Rare |
| Internal effort | Recurring argument | None |
| Reporting | Per load | Continuous |
Extended FAQ · 7 questions
More questions, answered
01Do we have to sort before you arrive?
No. Sorting on site is part of the service and our crew is faster at it than yours will be. A pre-sorted load is quicker and usually worth more per unit, but it is not a requirement.
02Is collection free?
It depends on what you have. A load with resale value usually nets you a payment after collection costs; a load of unknown-contents containers destined for reclaim may carry a charge. We tell you which before the truck is booked.
03Can you collect on a schedule?
Yes. Recurring collection weekly, fortnightly or monthly is common for plants that generate empties continuously, and it removes the internal argument about who deals with the pile.
04What about sites with no forklift?
Tell us in advance. We can send equipment or crew, but a driver arriving alone at a site with forty containers and no forklift is a wasted trip for both of us.
05Do you clear whole facilities?
Regularly. Plant closures, line changes and site consolidations are a large part of what we do, including mixed loads of totes, drums, cages, pallets and loose fittings.
06What is the one thing we must tell you?
Any regulated or hazardous residue, before the truck is booked. It is a routing decision rather than an obstacle and we handle it constantly — it only becomes a problem when a driver finds out on your dock.
07How much notice do you need?
For a full clearance, two to three weeks is comfortable and one week is workable. What actually sets the date is our lane pattern rather than our capacity.
Next step
Send a photo of the pile.
It is the fastest possible quote. One picture tells us the count, the grade split and what equipment to bring.