First Mile FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What can First Mile recycle?
First Mile is the expert in recycling your rubbish in the easiest possible way. We ask you to put all your recyclable rubbish in one sack. The rest is sorted for you.

Materials we can recycle include:

• Paper – white or coloured
• Card – white or coloured
• Paper leaflets
• Brochures, magazines, newspapers
• Junk mail
• Business directories including Yellow Pages
• Envelopes, including “window” envelopes
• Plastic bottles (PET)
• Plastic milk bottles (HDPE)
• Plastic carrier bags (HDPE or PP)
• Aluminium drinks cans
• Food tins (please rinse)
• Glass bottles & jars
• Cardboard – either in recycling sacks or flattened & marked with First Mile
  card tape

For more information, download our poster (PDF).

How much can I get in an IT & electronics sack?
IT & electronics sacks are large and very strong, as a guide you will get the following examples in 1 sack:

- 1 complete computer in a sack & sundry items & cables
- 5-10 laptops
- 15 desk-top telephones
- 10-20 inkjet or toner cartridges
- 100 metres of cable (typical IT cables are 2m in length)
- 2-4 fax machines
- 1 microwave
- 2 tills

What are the IT & electronics stickers for?
Use stickers for items that do not easily fit into the sack. You might find it easier to use stickers for large monitors, base units & microwaves. You will certainly need stickers for large printers and copiers, fridges, IT servers and items such as a dishwasher.

Why do I need electronics and battery recycling services?
UK companies have a legal obligation (the WEEE Directive) to recycle all of their IT, electrical and electronic equipment. You cannot dispose of these materials in your general waste.

Batteries contain hazardous substances that can leach into soil and water courses if they are not recycled. By 2012 the UK will be legally required to recycle 25% of batteries. We only recycle 3% now.

What is Automated Payment Discount?
It is a simple way to pay invoices that reduces paper and saves you 2.5% off every invoice.

• First Mile’s automated payment system is NOT standard regular monthly direct debit. You can order once a day or once a year. We only collect payment for what you ordered after you have received the goods. Less of course any credit notes.

• Nothing changes in the way you order products or in the service we deliver. The only change is a 2.5% discount applied to every invoice.

• All transactions are fully covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee; ask your bank for a refund and it is paid immediately no questions asked

How do I get Automated Payment Discount?
Simply call us with an email address for invoices and your bank details to set-up Direct Debit.

How does the recycling service work?
It’s very simple. You buy recycling sacks instead of rubbish sacks and fill with paper, (any colour), card, paper leaflets, business directories, plastic bottles, drinks or food cans (if rinsed), glass bottles and jars. Everything goes in one bag and you just leave it out for collection as normal. We do the rest.

How does the mixed paper wheelie service work?
It’s very simple. You specify a regular weekly collection for anything from 1 to 1000 wheelie bins. We deliver you a nice wheelie bin(s) the next day (complete with recycling instructions) and you start recycling immediately. All cardboard and paper types go in the one wheelie bin and we come and collect on the same day every week. We charge the same amount by Direct Debit every 4 weeks so you need never worry about payments.

Do I have to be on Direct Debit to use this service?
Yes

Do you bill me weekly or monthly?
Actually, we bill on a 4 week basis. We will process a Direct Debit every 4 weeks.

What happens if my regular collection day is on a Bank Holiday & my office is closed?
We will contact you to arrange a suitable alternative collection day in the week prior to the Bank Holiday.

What can I recycle in my wheelie bin?
Any cardboard or paper item e.g. cardboard, white office paper, coloured papers, newspapers, magazines, directories, leaflets, junk mail and envelopes

Where can I leave my bin?
You can leave it inside, outside, in a waste room or an underground carpark. Basically anywhere that is easy access for our driver.

Do I keep the same bin?
No. To aid collections your driver will exchange your bin with a spare(s) that he carries with him. This means you will have a different bin each week, but all First Mile bins are identical. If you are ever unhappy with the condition of your bin please call us immediately.

What happens if your driver does not come to collect our bin?
Our drivers will come every week unfortunately operational problems (e.g. break-downs) can mean we do have occasional problems. If your driver does not empty your bin please call 0800 612 9894 and we will organize a collection for the next day.

How much do the services cost?
First Mile operates a low-cost service for rubbish collection and recycling. There is no higher charge for recycling above everyday rubbish collection (we want to recycle as much as we can). Our prices are highly competitive with local authority collections & there are no hidden extra costs.  
Click here to see our Price List (PDF).

What areas do you cover?
Click here to check your postcode

Are there any annual or monthly membership fees?
None at all. You simply call, email or fax us, we set up an account, you order rubbish or recycling sacks or the required service and we set up the collection within 24 hours. There are no hidden charges & no ongoing contract. You simply re-order whenever you need to & we come and collect.

What types of businesses does First Mile work with?
Retailers, offices, facility management companies, cleaning companies, Royal Palaces, government buildings, university colleges and schools, for example, are some of the businesses and organisations we work for now.

What times do you collect?
We follow your existing times of collection, if you are happy with these. We collect 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need to change to a new routine.

Where does our recycled rubbish go?
We send recycling to a Materials Recovery Facility in London where your recycled rubbish sorted and then taken to manufacturers who turn it back into products which are sold back as new items. For example, Evolve paper is made from 100% recycled paper collected, recycled and reprocessed back into office paper. Glass is turned into new bottles or aggregates which are often used in road-building materials. Plastic bottles are washed, reprocessed and used again in the plastics industry. Metal cans and tins are recycled back into packaging, construction materials and cars or planes if aluminium. Electronics and batteries are recycled back into base metal compounds and plastics for remanufacture. Up to 70% of materials collected can now be recycled.

Where does our rubbish go?
Your rubbish sacks are sent to a Waste Transfer Station. From there, they are taken to landfill.

Examples of IT & electrical equipment?

• Air conditioner appliances
• Answering systems
• Audio amplifiers
• Automatic dispensers for hot or cold drinks, bottles or cans
• Carpet sweepers
• Cellular telephones
• Clocks and watches
• Clothes dryers
• Coin slot machines
• communication of information by electronic means
• Cooking
• Copying equipment
• Cordless telephones
• Dish washing machines
• Drills
• Electric fans
• Electric heating appliances
• Electric radiators
• Electric stoves
• Electrical and electronic typewriters
• Facsimile
• Freezers
• Fryers
• Grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages
• Heating regulators
• Hi-fi recorders
• Irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing
• Laptop computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included)
• Large cooling appliances
• Large household appliances
• Mainframes
• Microwaves
• Minicomputers
• Musical instruments
• Notebook computers
• Notepad computers
• Other fanning, exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment
• Other large appliances for heating rooms, beds, seating furniture
• Other large appliances used for cooking and other processing of food
• Other large appliances used for refrigeration, conservation and storage of food
• Other products and equipment for the collection, storage, processing, presentation or
• Other products or equipment of transmitting sound, images or other information by
• Pay telephones
• Personal computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included)
• Personal computing:
• Pocket and desk calculators
• Printer units
• Printers
• Radio sets
• Refrigerators
• Saws
• Scales
• Sewing machines
• Smoke detector
• telecommunications
• Telephones
• Television sets
• Telex
• Thermostats
• Toasters
• Tools for welding, soldering or similar use
• User terminals and systems
• Vacuum cleaners
• Video cameras
• Video games
• Video recorders
• Washing machines

How does the electronics & battery recycling service work?
It’s very simple. You buy a battery recycling sack or electronics recycling sack/sticker and fill the sacks with any IT or electrical equipment. Click here for the typical contents of one sack. Call 0800 612 9894 to get the sack collected the next day and we do the rest. We also provide you with a Consignment Note to show you that the waste has been safely transported and recycled at an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF).

What is the definition of electronic equipment?
The definition for ‘Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment’, or WEEE covers any item with an electrical current. This can range from a small calculator to a large main-frame server. Click here for examples.

What ‘WEEE’ can I recycle?
Any item with an electronic circuit e.g. PCs, phones, old screens, fax machines, fridges. Click here to see more examples of equipment classified as ‘WEEE’. We will also recycle inkjet and toner cartridges if you put these in the sacks.

What batteries can I recycle with First Mile?
Each battery sack takes 3KG of mixed dry-cell batteries. In addition to AA and AAA type batteries, these are also found in mobile phones, laptops, cordless phones, wireless products, cameras, clocks, answerphones, dictation machines, smoke-detectors etc. If you can’t find the battery, just put the entire product in the bag.
Click here for examples.

What can First Mile recycle with its specialist services?

None of the following can be put in First Mile’s normal recycling sacks but we can help you get them recycled :

• Batteries (use our battery & electronics recycling service)
• Old electrical appliances and computers (use our electronics recycling service)
• Cathode-Ray Tubes (use our electronics recycling service)
• Oils & pesticides
• Sand & building material
• Wood
• Textiles
• Plastic film (magazine polywrap) - see below
• CDs, DVDs and VHS - see below
• Fire extinguishers
• Fluorescent tubes
• Light bulbs
• Paint
• Engine Oil
• Cooking Oil

Can First Mile pick up and recycle large & bulky items?
Yes we can! If you have bulky furniture, awkward items, redundant office units or old display units, call 0800 612 9894 and we will arrange a quote for you.

Can First Mile handle Secure Paper Destruction?
Yes we can. Either already shredded paper can be taken for recycling or we can handle secure shredding. Click here for more details.

Can First Mile recycle plastic carrier bags & 'soft' plastics?
Yes. You can put normal carrier bags in our Easy Recycle Sacks.

If you have lots of plastic films (such as polywrap on magazines) or cling film you might want to consider using another company working in association with First Mile:

Polyprint Mailing Films Ltd
Unit 21A, Mackintosh Road
Rackheath Estate
Rackheath
NORWICH NR13 6LJ
Tel: 01603 721807
W: www.polyprint.co.uk/recycling.html

All you need to do is pay for the postage.

Do you recycle light bulbs and tubes?
Fluorescent light tubes and light bulbs (lamps) are classified as hazardous waste – these can be collected and recycled by WasteCare – call 0113 385 4325
Website: www.wastecare.co.uk

Can First Mile recycle CDs and DVDs?
Yes we can but not in our normal recycling sacks. You need to save a batch, package them up and send them to:

Polymer Reprocessors Ltd
Reeds Lane
MORETON
Wirral CH46 1DW           
Tel: 0151 606 0456
W: www.polymer-reprocessors.co.uk

All you need to do is pay for the postage.

Can First Mile recycle ink toners and cartridges?
Yes we can but not in our normal recycling sacks. Use WEEE sacks to recycle toner cartridges. We send them to The Recycling Factory for recycling and they make a donation to our chosen charity – Help the Aged.

Can First Mile recycle old stamps?
Yes we can but not in our normal recycling sacks.

First Mile can help you to recycle your unwanted stamps through the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind).

• Collect stamps from envelopes leaving approximately 1cm of envelope bordering each stamp (stamps are sold by weight). Please recycle the envelopes along with the rest of your paper recycling.
• Collect all stamps together, keeping British or overseas’ stamps separately. The RNIB can raise more money from overseas stamps. Don’t worry about the value of the stamps – they will be sorted by volunteers.
  

Stamps should be collected and sent to:
RNIB Stamp Recycling
PO Box 185
Benfleet
Essex
SS7 9BH
Tel: 0845 345 0054
E: fundraising@rnib.org.uk  

If you would like general information about RNIB, please go to www.rnib.org.uk.

When can we get started?
Complete our new customer form online or call us on 0800 612 9894. We can get you started within 24 hours.

How do First Mile's terms & conditions work?
There are no contracts. If you don’t like our service, stop using us. If you would like to download our full Terms & Conditions, click here