KP containers

KP containers at a household waste recycling centre are used to collect bulky, construction and green waste brought in by residents. Their large capacity reduces how often the haulage company needs to deliver replacement containers.

We match the container size to the expected volume of deliveries at each centre.

Each container is labelled according to the fraction it accepts, with separate containers for construction, green and bulky waste, which helps residents to sort their waste correctly as soon as they deliver it. The schedule for delivering and exchanging containers is agreed with the local authority, depending on how quickly each station fills up.

At household waste recycling centres, KP containers are usually arranged so that both residents in cars and hook-lift vehicles collecting full units have unobstructed access. Sufficiently wide aisles between stations and a hard, paved surface reduce the risk of ground damage when heavy vehicles drive in, whatever the weather.

Seasonality of deliveries is particularly important here. In spring and autumn, the amount of green waste from garden maintenance rises sharply, so many centre operators temporarily increase the number of containers for this fraction during peak periods, returning to the standard number of stations out of season.

Containers for construction waste at household waste recycling centres are sometimes also monitored for prohibited contaminants, such as asbestos-containing materials or other hazardous waste. Centre staff usually carry out random visual checks of incoming loads to avoid problems when the container's contents are subsequently processed by the authorised recipient.

Working with the local authority when planning the exchange schedule helps to avoid a situation in which a container fills up several days before its planned exchange. A well-run centre monitors fill levels on an ongoing basis and, where necessary, requests an earlier collection rather than sticking rigidly to a fixed timetable.

It is also worth considering numbering the stations with numbers visible from a distance, supplemented by a short description of the accepted fraction on a large board at the centre entrance. First-time visitors will find the right place more quickly, and centre staff can direct traffic using the same markings as when communicating with the hook-lift vehicle driver.

Another good practice is for staff to keep a simple, up-to-date log of how full each container is. After a few months, such a record shows which fractions fill up faster than assumed at the planning stage, allowing the number of stations or the frequency of exchanges to be adjusted for the following season.