Garage decluttering glossary
Plain-English explanations of the terms you will come across.
- Asbestos cement
- A building material of cement reinforced with asbestos fibres, common in pre-2000 garage roofs, panels and gutters. Low risk when intact but must not be broken or disturbed.
- Cubic yard
- A common measure of waste volume used for pricing clearances and skips. A standard builders' skip holds about 6 to 8 cubic yards.
- Duty of care
- The legal responsibility on anyone producing waste, including householders, to take reasonable steps to make sure it is passed to someone authorised to take it and is not fly-tipped.
- Fire safety label
- The permanent label on upholstered furniture showing it meets UK furniture fire safety rules. Many charities cannot accept sofas and armchairs without it.
- Fly-tipping
- The illegal dumping of waste on land or roadsides. Householders can be fined if their waste is fly-tipped and they did not check the person who took it was registered.
- Hazardous waste
- Waste that is harmful to people or the environment, such as solvent-based paint, oils, some chemicals, fluorescent tubes and asbestos, which must be kept separate and handled by authorised routes.
- HWRC
- Household waste recycling centre, the council-run site where residents can take household waste and recycling. Often called the tip, with rules on bookings, vans and certain materials.
- POPs waste
- Waste containing persistent organic pollutants, such as some upholstered seating, which must be destroyed by incineration rather than landfilled or recycled.
- Probate
- The legal right to deal with a person's estate after they die, including their property and possessions. The value of contents may need to be reported as part of the process.
- Reuse charity
- A charity or community project that collects furniture and household goods in good condition and sells them or passes them on, keeping usable items out of landfill.
- Skip permit
- Permission from the council needed to place a skip on a public road or pavement, usually arranged by the skip company and charged on top of hire.
- Waste carrier registration
- The official registration that any business collecting or transporting other people's waste must hold, checkable on a public register run by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA or NIEA.
- Waste transfer note
- A document or receipt recording what waste was removed, from where, and by which registered carrier. It is your evidence that waste was passed on properly.
- WEEE
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment. Anything with a plug, battery or cable that must be recycled separately at authorised facilities rather than put in general waste.
Last updated 6 November 2026