From 31 March 2025, the Council will be introducing a new service for commercial waste. As a result of this change in operations, all small-medium sized businesses, including all self-catering holiday lets and B&Bs, that receive a weekly kerbside collection service, or bring waste to a Council managed waste site on an off-island, will be required to sign up to the new service by 4.30pm on 31 January 2025.
This requirement applies to all small to medium sized businesses on St Mary’s, St Agnes, Bryher and St Martin’s, whether they pay Council Tax or Non-Domestic Rates.
Larger businesses which produce large volumes of waste and recycling for disposal at waste and recycling centres managed by the Council will need to contact the waste team separately to discuss their requirements (see 'How to sign up to the new waste service' section below for details on how to do this).
The Council doesn’t mange waste and recycling on Tresco, so existing arrangements for Tresco’s commercial waste will not be affected.
How to sign up to the new waste service
All businesses that have their waste managed by the Council must sign up to the new service by 4.30pm on 31 January 2025 by completing the online form by clicking on the button below:
| CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO THE NEW COMMERCIAL WASTE SERVICE |
This form asks for your business details and your waste and recycling requirements.
After completing the sign-up form, a price for your chosen level of service and a copy of the contract terms and conditions will be sent to your business.
The terms and conditions for the service are attached on the right-hand side of this page.
If your business produces larger or smaller amounts of waste and recycling than is accounted for on the sign-up form at the link above, or you are unable to complete it for any other reason, you will need to email the waste and recycling team at zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 424450 before 4.30pm on 31 January to make alternative arrangements.
If businesses wish to amend the number of sacks they require after they have signed up to the service, they will need to notify us by emailing zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk.
IMPORTANT: please be aware that the new service will replace all existing Council waste and recycling arrangements, so any business on St Mary’s, St Agnes, Bryher or St Martin’s that fails to sign up to the new service (or in the case of larger businesses, make alternative arrangements, as set out above):
- WILL NOT be a Council commercial waste services customer.
- WILL NOT have their commercial waste or recycling collected.
- WILL NOT be able to access any of the off-island waste sites for the purpose of disposing of commercial waste or recycling.
How the new service will work
Businesses will be able to sign up to residual waste collections and will also be able opt in to weekly recycling options. Businesses will also be able to choose whether they want a seasonal or year-round service.
Residual commercial waste
Residual waste will be collected/managed weekly.
The Council will provide a new roll of 25 purple, 90L single-use commercial waste sacks. Reusable seagull proof sacks (shown in the image below) will be provided if businesses require them.
Previously issued grey commercial waste sacks will not be accepted by the Council from 31 March 2025.
Commercial recycling
Recycling will be collected/managed weekly alongside residual waste collections.
Businesses will be asked to opt in to all, none or some of the following recycling options:
- Recycling of paper and card
- Recycling of plastic and tins
- Recycling of glass bottles and jars
The following reusable recycling containers will be provided in accordance with the options selected by the business:
- Blue sack for paper and card sack: a blue, weighted, 120L (45cm by 60cm) sack with a fold-up, fastenable lid to keep the cardboard dry
- Red sack for plastic and cans/tins: a red, weighted, 90L (45cm by 45cm) sack for plastic and cans/tins, with a fold-over, fastenable lid
- Black box for glass bottles and jars: a black 55L (55cm by 40cm) box for glass bottles and jars, with drainage holes.
An image showing what the new reusable containers will look like can be viewed below:
Delivery and usage of the new containers
Once businesses have signed up to the service as set out above, and have agreed terms and conditions with the Council, we will issue the new reusable containers.
The new containers will be delivered to businesses throughout March, for use by businesses from 31 March 2025. Previously issued clear commercial recycling sacks will not be accepted by the Council from 31 March 2025.
Reusable commercial waste and recycling tags
Businesses will also be issued with new reusable commercial waste and recycling tags, which must be attached to your waste and recycling containers every time your material is presented for collection on St Mary’s, or for disposal at an off-island waste site.
The tags are necessary because they show our waste collection crews and off-island waste contractors that you have paid for your waste service.
You will receive new tags every year you sign up and pay for the service.
Businesses can expect to receive their first delivery of sacks and tags in March 2025, but we request that businesses only use them from the week commencing 31 March.
Materials Accepted
Please see below for a list of which materials should be placed in each of the containers in order to be accepted. Please note that only bagged waste will be collected. Unbagged waste, or side waste, will not be accepted.
| 90-litre Purple Commercial Waste Sacks for Residual Waste: | |
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| 120-litre Blue Reusable Recycling Sacks for Paper and Card | |
|
Clean and flattened:
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| 95-litre Red Reusable Recycling Sacks for Plastics and Metals | |
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Clean, rinsed, dry, and squashed:
|
 |
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55-litre Black Reusable Boxes for Glass Bottles and Jars |
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Clean, rinsed, and dry:
Non-Accepted Materials: Broken glass, |
 |
Leftover commercial waste and recycling sacks
Businesses will not be able to use the previously issued commercial waste and recycling sacks from 31 March 2025.
Business waste will not be collected or accepted at Council managed waste sites if it is contained within these sacks either on or after this date.
If a business has leftover, untampered, full rolls of Council-issued commercial waste or recycling sacks, it may be entitled to a refund if proof of purchase in the financial year 2024/25 can be provided. Businesses that may be eligible for a refund must email zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 424450 by 4.30pm on 31 January 2025.
Changes to collection days on St Mary’s
We will also be making some minor changes to waste and recycling collection days on St Mary’s from 31 March 2025 to make the new service run as efficiently as possible. These changes apply to both businesses and householders, but we will be communicating with householders separately about service changes in the coming weeks.
No changes have been made to waste and recycling collection times. Both businesses and householders are still required to present their material for collection at the kerbside by 8.30am on their collection day.
You can view a map of St Mary's and the waste collection rounds as they will be from 31 March 2025 below, along with a table listing the areas of St Mary's and their new waste and recycling collection days. If you require any of this information in a different format, please contact zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 424450.
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
| Garrison - all | Church Road | Old Town Road | Little Porth Road |
| Rams Valley | Silver Street | Trench Lane | Sally Port |
| Bottom of Buzza | Ingrams Opening | Launceston Close | Garrison Lane |
| Jackson's Hill | Porthcressa Road | Ennor Close | Jerusalem Terrace |
| Sylvester's Lane | Buzza Street | High Cross Lane | The Bank |
| Pilots Retreat | Well Cross | Airport | Hugh Street |
| Carn Gwaval | Back Lane | Airport Bungalows | The Parade |
| Tolmans | Higher Strand | Parting Carn Lane | Thorofare |
| Rocky Hill | Tremelethen Lane | Lower Strand | |
| Sharks Pitt | Carn Friars Lane | Porthmellon Ind Est | |
| Trewince | Normandy | Bay View | |
| Longstone | Barnes Acre | Porthloo Lane | |
| Decca Lane | Maypole (roadside) | Porthloo Hill | |
| Bristows | High Lane | Golf Club Lane | |
| Trenoweth | Town Lane | Telegraph Road from Newford Lane | |
| Watermill | Newford Lane | ||
| Maypole | Telegraph Road (Town Lane to Pump Road) | Telegraph Tower & Bungalows | |
| Holy Vale | Pungies Lane | ||
| Pelistry | McFarlands Lane |
Service charges
The price you pay for your commercial waste service is based on the number of waste and recycling sacks you require to be collected/managed for your business per week. A list of prices per container, per week and an example of how the charges accumulate according to the options selected by each business are shown in the tables below. Businesses will be invoiced for the year and may elect to pay in monthly instalments by direct debit.
|
Container type |
Price per container, per week |
|---|---|
|
Residual Commercial Waste Sack (90L) |
£6.50 |
|
Paper and card for recycling (120L) |
£2.00 |
|
Plastic and cans/tins for recycling (90L) |
£2.00 |
|
Glass Bottles and jars for recycling (55L) |
£2.00 |
| Container type | Number of containers | Charge per container, per collection | Total charges per week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residual commercial waste sack (90l) | 1 | £6.50 | £6.50 |
| Paper & card reusable sack (120l) | 1 | £2.00 | £2.00 |
| Plastic & cans reusable sack (90l) | 1 | £2.00 | £2.00 |
| Glass box (55l) | 1 | £2.00 | £2.00 |
| Total | 4 | N/A | £12.50 |
Helping you with these changes
To help businesses adjust to these changes we’re providing the following opportunities for the community to come and speak to the waste and recycling team in person:
Waste and Recycling Service Changes Drop-in session
When: Thursday, 9 January, from 2pm until 4pm
Where: Wesleyan Chapel, St Mary’s
Bookable Weekly Advice sessions
Our bookable weekly advice sessions are also a great way of getting your questions answered. Businesses can book in to speak to a member of the waste team on Thursday afternoons from 16 January 2025, by completing the form at the following link:
https://outlook.office365.com/book/WastePEC@cornwallservices.onmicrosoft.com/
These sessions are also available online for those unable to attend in person – please select the “online” option on the drop-down menu on the booking form.
Further information and support
Our waste customers are also always welcome to contact the team with any questions or concerns by emailing zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or calling 01720 424450.
Keeping you Updated
We will be writing to residents to inform them of the changes to the commercial waste service set out above and will also be notifying people about changes to household recycling in early 2025. Whilst we will ensure we write directly to customers about the forthcoming changes, reminders about important deadlines will be posted to the Council’s Facebook page. Customers may wish to follow us on Facebook in order to receive additional reminders.
Privacy Notice for the new commercial waste service
The Commercial Waste Service is run by the Council of the Isles of Scilly. The Council of the Isles of Scilly is the data controller for your data.
The purpose for which we require your data is to provide a commercial waste service and to communicate with you about the service.
The legal basis for processing your personal and commercial data is that it is necessary for the performance of a contract and of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller.
Under GDPR and the DPA 2018 you have the right to:
- access information that we hold about you or have it rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete (but you will need to provide evidence before we can do so).
- have your information erased where we do not have a legal requirement to retain.
- withdraw your consent for us to hold your information.
- restrict how we process your information, e.g. object to us using your information for marketing or research purposes or in relation to a legal task or in the exercise of an official authority.
- request that a person reviews an automated decision where it has had an adverse effect on you.
If you would like to exercise these rights, please contact the environment team in the first instance by emailing environment@scilly.gov.uk or calling 01720 424450.
If you consider your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to Simon Mansell, Data Protection Officer for the Council of the Isles of Scilly by emailing dpo@scilly.gov.uk.
You can also contact the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator (casework@ico.org.uk). Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.
A copy of this privacy notice is also attached to the right-hand side of this page.