How To Dispose Of An Old Carpet In Scotland?

You will usually need to get rid of an old carpet when you get a new one installed. Along with the old carpet itself, you also probably have old gripper rods, padding, offcuts and boxes from the new carpet to get rid of. These materials can be disposed of in a variety of ways, including donation and recycling, removal by a fitter, spending for a bulky waste collection by the council, taking it to the dump, hiring a skip, or hiring a junk clearance specialist to load it away.

You can choose the carpet removal method that works best for you with our straightforward how-to guide.

#1. Carpet Installer – Find out from your carpet installer if they will dispose of your carpet.

If the shop where you purchased your carpet does not provide a disposal service, your installer will frequently dispose of your old carpet for an additional cost. However, ensure they have a waste carrier’s licence because it is against the law for them to remove it without a valid Environment Agency authorisation.

According to Job Prices, you can expect to pay your carpet installer a disposal fee of between 50p and £1 per square metre of carpet and underlay. Installers should charge you between £15 to £20 to remove all of your old carpets, according to Smoove Move. So, whether a contractor will charge by the square metre or by the entire job actually just relies on them. Verify with your installer the details of the fee because disposal is frequently covered by the cost of the upgrade.

#2. Recycle – How can I reuse old carpet in my home or how can I get it to other people so they may reuse it?

Your carpet might be recycled into mats, animal bedding, or offcuts, or you could donate to someone else. Old carpets can usually be a bit smelly and overall unpleasant, but new offcuts are much more likely to be reused. Furthermore, the chances of someone wishing to buy or remove a worn-out, filthy carpet from your hands are very low.

You may give your carpet away for nothing by donating it to charity stores or websites like Freecycle. If a carpet is in pretty good shape, people will also sell it on sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Gumtree. Only consider this option if you wouldn’t mind a stranger in your home and be ready that they might not be interested when they view the carpet in person since the buyers typically travel to your place for pick up.

Carpet can be reused in your garden, and it is not required to be in good condition to do so. By placing the carpet upside down and covering it with bark mulch, weeds won’t be able to grow along routes. The same thing is possible in and around vegetable patches. Ask community organisations if they would like to use your old carpet if you don’t have a green thumb.

If the carpet is still in good shape, you might be able to use it again in your house. Simply cut the carpet into a suitable form to transform it into a mat. You can then use them as runners or door mats. Even a carpet whipping service might be used to provide edging for a more polished appearance. 

There are services that recycle carpet tiles specifically, such as Carpet Tiles Recycling.

To avoid damage to new flooring, if you have scraps, you might cut them into little squares and place them underneath the feet of the furniture. Or, if they are leftovers from a new carpet in your home, you may intentionally stain them to explore removal methods.

#3. Local council – Can I dump the carpet at a nearby landfill?

The most affordable option for homeowners is to dispose of carpet at the neighbourhood recycling facility because most local landfill areas are free. The only disadvantages are that you might need to make more than one trip and that your car might get covered in a lot of carpet dust. Moreover, if you reside in a rural region, the nearest landfill may be pretty far away, making it possibly more convenient to hire someone else to dispose of it for you.

The website recycling.co.uk claims that most recycling facilities don’t accept carpets, although our own analysis of council/tip websites reveals otherwise. But, just in case, we advise double-checking with your own.

Importantly, businesses are either required to pay to use the council tips or are not allowed to use them at all, contrary to homeowners.

 #4. Councils – will the council accept carpet in their residential bulky waste collection service?

A choice that is only open to homeowners because businesses cannot use the council’s services for bulky rubbish. Carpet is accepted by certain authorities’ bulky rubbish collection services and not by others. For instance, carpet is included in Lambeth Council’s bulky garbage collection programme for locals. To learn more, get in touch with your neighbourhood council. Council fees vary, but they are typically less expensive than hiring a private waste service.

#5. Skip hire – Is it okay to put carpet in a skip?

An alternative for getting rid of your old flooring is to hire a skip, provided you have enough carpet to fill it. Prices vary depending on the size, location, and postcode of the skip as well as on or off the street.

#6. Junk Removal clearance – hire a rubbish removal service to remove your carpet

Oftentimes, hiring a junk removal professional like Jettison Express to remove your old carpet will be less expensive than renting a skip. Contrary to skip hire, contractors can change the price on the spot and can collect from any location on the property, which is especially helpful if you’re at a property without enough space for a skip, like a flat. Additionally, unlike skip hire, you don’t need to estimate the correct size in advance. Check out our blogs on junk clearance for more details on junk disposal.

#7. removing your carpet – DIY, waste contractors or carpet fitters

You must take your carpet from the floor in order to get rid of it.

You can take out the carpet on your own pretty easily. You only require a few tools (utility knife, pliers, crowbar, and gloves). To make the carpet more convenient to move out of the room, you’ll need to pull it up, cut it into strip parts as you go, roll it up, and duct tape it. When taking out the underlay, follow the same procedure. Finally, lift them up by sliding the crowbar underneath with the help of gripper rods.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to get your hands dirty, you may always hire an expert to do it for you. Ask your carpet installer if they can remove your old carpet; they will typically do so for a fee, and they may even include carpet disposal in the cost. Or you might contact your rubbish removal company, who can typically lift your carpet for you in exchange for a fee.

#8. Assuming the carpet is not reused, where does it go?

If the carpet cannot be used again, it is either recycled or disposed of. However, because the underlay is difficult to separate from the carpet pile, recycling old carpets can be challenging. Additionally, it is challenging to recycle carpet-related fabrics like wool and nylon. Since carpet padding is composed of foam, recycling facilities are more likely to accept it because it is much easier to recycle. A non-profit organisation called Carpet Recycling UK is working to cut down on the amount of carpet that ends up in landfills. On their website, you can find a ton more information and suggestions for recycling carpets.

#9. Landfill – The reason why carpets shouldn’t be disposed of in landfills

Complex carpet fibres can’t decompose in landfills because their biodegradation is so difficult and produces methane. Carpet burning is not a very perfect option either. This is because they cause dangerous compounds like lead, mercury, and dioxin to be released into the air we breathe. Not only that but burning old carpets also produces organic contaminants and endocrine disruptors. It’s dangerous to breathe in these particles.