More than six items
The council stops at six per booking. A bedroom, a garage or a yard clear-out is usually well past that, and we take the lot in one visit rather than three separate bookings.
Sunderland · Washington · Houghton-le-Spring · Hetton · Penshaw
Rubbish removal in Sunderland
The council collects six items free and we will tell you to use it. We are for everything past that. More than six items, builder's waste, anything over 25kg, or a flat that has to be emptied between tenants. Send photos and a person sends you back one fixed price.
- The council's free service takes six items, we take the rest
- 5.0 on Google from 172 reviews
- Upper Tier carrier CBDU523317
Get a price
No visit neededWhat needs collecting?
For example, a fridge freezer, a sofa bed and eight bags from a yard in Pallion
What needs collecting?
Sunderland postcode
SR2
When would suit you?
Choose a date
Sunderland postcode
Send on WhatsAppA person looks at your photos and replies with one fixed price. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
Get a price
No visit neededWhat needs collecting?
For example, a fridge freezer, a sofa bed and eight bags from a yard in Pallion
What needs collecting?
Sunderland postcode
SR2
When would suit you?
Choose a date
Sunderland postcode
Send on WhatsAppA person looks at your photos and replies with one fixed price. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
What we take away
The jobs we do most often in Sunderland
A lot of what we do in Sunderland is the job the free council collection cannot take. That is not a criticism of the council service, which is genuinely good. It is simply capped at six items and it will not take builder's waste, anything over 25kg or a landlord's clearance.
Renovation and builder's waste
The council will not take waste from conversions, landscaping or large DIY. Old kitchen units, bathroom suites, plasterboard and timber are an ordinary day for us.
Landlords and end of tenancy
The free service is for residential customers only, and the council sends landlord clearances to its Commercial Trade Waste team. We can collect with keys if you are not local.
Heavy and awkward loads
Nothing over 25kg and no dumpy bags on the council service. Soil, rubble, a fridge freezer or a sofa bed up a stairwell is what the van is for.
The council option
The council will do it free. Should you use them?
Use the council if it fits. Sunderland is the only place we work where the bulky waste collection is free, and for up to six items you can carry out yourself we will tell you to book it rather than pay us. Where it runs out is the number of items, the weight, and what the waste is.
Sunderland City Council
What it costsFree. There is nothing to beat here and we will not pretend otherwise
How many itemsSix. That is the maximum per booking and per day
Is it guaranteedNo. The council has capacity for about 38,000 collections a year, first come
When it happensOn your ward's allocated day. The council says there is no specific time from booking to collection
Who carries it outYou do, out to the nearest vehicle access point by 7.30am
Weight limitsNothing over 25kg, no dumpy bags, and bags of rubble only partly filled
A skip
What it costsPermit needed if it goes on the road
How many itemsWhatever fits, but you load it yourself
Is it guaranteedYes, once it is booked
When it happensIt sits on your drive for days
Who carries it outYou do, and you load it yourself
Weight limitsHeavy waste is what a skip is for
Fast Track
What it costsOne fixed price from your photos
How many itemsNo limit. If it fits in the van it goes
Is it guaranteedYes, from the moment you accept the price
When it happensA slot you agree, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week
Who carries it outWe do, from wherever it is sitting
Weight limitsWe lift it
Council rules read from sunderland.gov.uk on 20 September 2026. The free service and the six item cap are the council's own wording. Book it at sunderland.gov.uk/bulky-waste or ring 0191 520 5550.
And if you have a car, the tip is cheaper than all of us
If you have a car, the Household Waste and Recycling Centre at Pallion is free to use and open 364 days a year. For a couple of bags that is cheaper than anybody, us included.
Worth knowing before you book anybody
If your rubbish is fly-tipped, you can be prosecuted
Sunderland City Council spells this out and almost nobody reads it. If you hand your waste to a carrier who is not licensed, and that waste is later fly-tipped, the council says the householder can be prosecuted. That means you, not the man with the van.
The council's advice is to check the carrier is registered before you book, and to get a waste transfer note afterwards. It says that not having one leaves you liable if the waste turns up fly-tipped.
What the council says a transfer note must show
- The carrier's name and licence number
- The name and address of both you and the carrier
- What the waste is, roughly how much, and how it is packaged
- The date, time and place it was handed over
- Which waste facility it is going to
- The carrier's signature
Check ours before you book
Our licence number is CBDU523317 and it is Upper Tier, which is the level councils ask for. Look it up on the Environment Agency register before you book us. We would genuinely rather you did.
Straight pricing
What does rubbish removal cost in Sunderland?
There is no price list, because no two loads are the same. Two things set the price and nothing else does.
How much van space it needs
A few bags is not the same as a full three piece suite. Your photos tell us which.
The run down the A19
Our yard is in Gateshead and Sunderland is a straight run down the A19. The price covers the journey there and back.
What never changes the price
Stairs do not change it, and neither do back lanes or how long the carrying takes. Taking large furniture apart is the only extra, at £20 an item.
How it works
Four steps, and no visit before the price
Same day collection is available when we have a slot free. It is not a promise for every job, and we will tell you straight away if we cannot do it.
- 1
Send photos
Photograph everything that needs to go, including the yard, the loft and the back lane. Phone photos are fine.
- 2
A person prices it
Somebody on the team looks at the photos and works out the van space. You get one fixed price in writing, not an estimate.
- 3
Pick a day
You choose a slot between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week. Same day when we have one free.
- 4
We do the carrying
We carry it out, load it, sweep up the worst of it and take it away. You do not lift anything.
Where it goes
Where your rubbish actually ends up
Reused or donated
Furniture in good condition and white goods that still work. We do not buy anything from you and we do not pay cash.
Sorted and recycled
Metal, wood, cardboard and green waste are separated and go for recycling rather than to landfill.
Licensed disposal
The rest goes to a licensed transfer station and we keep the transfer note, which is the piece of paper that protects you.
Where we come to
Areas of Sunderland we cover
- Sunderland
- Washington
- Houghton-le-Spring
- Hetton-le-Hole
- Seaburn
- Roker
- Fulwell
- Southwick
- Castletown
- Pallion
- Millfield
- Ashbrooke
- Silksworth
- Doxford Park
- Ryhope
- Grangetown
- Penshaw
- Shiney Row
- Herrington
- Farringdon
Reviews
What customers say
5 out of 5 stars. 5.0 on Google from 172 reviews
If you want rubbish removed look no further than these guys worked in the snow and rain. Absolutely fantastic service. Don't go anywhere else. Cant thank you enough for taking the pain away
Couldn't fault the team, from arrival they were quick and efficient. We had some old furniture and found some left at the new property that they took away to dispose of at a reasonable rate. Would 100% recommend.
Questions
Questions about rubbish removal in Sunderland
Is rubbish removal free in Sunderland?
The council's bulky waste collection is free for residents, up to six items per booking. If that covers what you have and you can put it out yourself, book it rather than pay anybody. We are for the loads it will not take.
How can I get my rubbish removed by Sunderland council?
Book online at sunderland.gov.uk/bulky-waste or ring 0191 520 5550. Collections are ward-based, so you wait for your ward's day, and the council says there is no specific time from booking to collection. Put the items out by 7.30am at the nearest vehicle access point.
What will the council not collect?
Hazardous waste, anything over 25kg, dumpy bags, contaminated or soaked items, more than two pallets, renovation and builder's waste, and landlord clearances. For most of those the council itself tells you to use a legally registered waste carrier.
Can I be prosecuted for somebody else fly-tipping my rubbish?
Yes, and the council says so in writing. If you hand waste to an unlicensed carrier and it is fly-tipped, you can be prosecuted as the householder. Check the licence before you book anybody, including us. Ours is CBDU523317.
What is a waste transfer note and do I need one?
It is the receipt that proves you handed your waste to a licensed carrier. The council says that without one you are liable if the waste is later found fly-tipped. We keep them and we will send you a copy whenever you ask.
Do you need to come and look first?
No. The photos are the visit. That is why you get a price the same day rather than waiting in for somebody to call round and measure up.
Can you come the same day?
Often, yes. Send photos early in the day. If you accept the price and we have a slot free we will come the same day. It depends on what is already booked, so it is not a promise for every job.
What will you not take?
Asbestos, paint, chemicals, gas bottles, tyres and fridges with the gas still in them need specialist disposal, so we cannot put them in the van. Tell us if you have any of those and we will point you to who can.
Rubbish removal in other areas
Other things we can take away
House clearance in Sunderland
This is for emptying a whole property rather than a few items.
House clearance in Sunderland →Office clearance
We clear desks, chairs and old computers in one visit.
Office clearance →Garden and general waste
We can clear the yard and garden at the same time.
Garden and general waste →Send photos and we will send you a price
Or call 0191 716 9569, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.