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Spectrum Recycling comparison

Spectrum Recycling comparison: Capital Recycle vs Spectrum Recycling for commercial waste in London

Spectrum Recycling comparison: Capital Recycle vs Spectrum Recycling on what a business asks before it signs: where they collect, what containers they supply, how the charges are structured, how fast they start, what the published terms say, and who issues the paperwork. Every statement about Spectrum Recycling is taken from its own published pages and dated. We are the other company on this page, so weigh what we say accordingly.
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Who this comparison is for

A business in London with one site, or a handful, that puts out pre-paid sacks or runs one to four wheelie bins. If you run a landmark, a shopping centre or a multi-tenant building and want compactors, balers and skips on one account with a named account manager, Spectrum is built for that and this page says so.

The two companies

Spectrum Recycling is Spectrum Recycling Ltd, a family-run London commercial waste collector incorporated in 2014, registered in Milton Keynes and operating from Water Lane in Watford, WD17. It names Tate Modern, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Canary Wharf towers and Hammersmith Broadway among its customers, runs Euro 6 vehicles with on-board weighing, offers a free waste audit before it quotes, and states that none of the waste it collects goes to landfill. It lists ISO 9001, ISO 14001, CHAS and SafeContractor. Its own pages: spectrumrecycling.co.uk (nofollow).
Capital Recycle Ltd is a London commercial waste collector with 250+ active customers, rated ★4.8 on Trustpilot. We collect sacks and bins across central London and the WD postcodes on our caged tippers, start within 24 to 48 hours from sack stock we hold ourselves, and issue the annual Waste Transfer Note for every stream we collect. Upper Tier waste carrier CBDU466346. £5m public liability.

Spectrum Recycling features and services, side by side

Capital RecycleSpectrum Recycling (as published, read 5 Nov 2026)
London coverageCentral London and the WD postcodes; collection frequency agreed per site"Wherever in London you are"; no postcode or borough list published; named customers on the South Bank, in Canary Wharf, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Hendon and Hammersmith
SacksPre-paid general waste and mixed recycling sacks, priced per sack by weekly volume; delivered from stock we holdA sack service is not published on its site
Bins240, 360, 660 and 1100 litre; one fixed monthly figure per bin, no rental line, no environmental levy, no fuel surcharge1100, 660 and 240 litre, colour-coded by stream; compactors, balers and skips
Other streamsGlass as a dedicated stream; food as a bagged stream; cardboard by arrangement; specialist streams through one of our partnersFood, glass, cardboard and dry mixed recycling alongside general waste; a free waste audit before the quote
How pricing is structuredSacks per sack by volume; bins one monthly figure per bin; the agreement shows every line before you signBy quote after a free waste audit; per-lift or monthly basis, rental, surcharges and increases not published
How to startPhone or form; service starts within 24 to 48 hours; sacks from our own stock, bins on the agreed start dateContact form or 0800 074 7774, "we will get right back to you"; time to first collection not published
Term and notice12-month agreement that renews unless you give 60 days' notice before the renewal date, or a rolling monthly option at a higher rate that you can end any month. The agreement is sent before you commitNot published; no terms page or document is linked on its site
Waste Transfer NoteAnnual WTN Service, £65 + VAT per stream, issued and renewed by usNot described on its pages; a customer testimonial mentions monthly reports; its vehicles weigh on board
Diversion claim98% diversion from landfill"We do not landfill any of the waste that we collect"; general waste to energy from waste, food to anaerobic digestion
CertificationsUpper Tier carrier CBDU466346; £5m public liabilityISO 9001, ISO 14001, CHAS and SafeContractor listed; carrier registration number not printed on the pages read
Missed collectionCall 0207 101 4003 and speak to the person who runs the round0800 074 7774 or the contact form; recovery time not published
Changing a bin or a frequencyLike-for-like bin swap on 24 hours' notice, no crossover periodThrough your account contact; its testimonials name an account manager
Public reviewsTrustpilot ★4.8Three customer testimonials on its own site; no Trustpilot profile found

Choose Spectrum Recycling if

  • You run a landmark, a shopping centre or a multi-tenant building and want a named account manager across it.
  • You need compactors, balers or skips on the same account as the bins.
  • You want a free waste audit before anyone quotes, with staff training on which bin takes what.
  • Your procurement asks for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, CHAS or SafeContractor by name.

Choose Capital Recycle if

If you want a collection that turns up on the day it is booked, and a team you can reach when something needs sorting, choose Capital Recycle.
  • You have one London site, or a few, with sacks or one to four bins, and you want it priced from a published table rather than after an audit.
  • You put out sacks: pre-paid general waste and recycling sacks, priced per bag by weekly volume and delivered from our own stock.
  • You want a missed or late collection sorted by a person who can act: a call to 0207 101 4003 reaches the person who runs your round, not a ticket queue or a call centre that cannot contact the driver.
  • You want to start this week, with the containers actually on site: sacks from our own stock within 24 to 48 hours, bins delivered on the agreed start date, and a damaged bin swapped like for like on 24 hours' notice.
  • You want the bin price to be the whole price: one fixed monthly figure, no rental line, no levy, no fuel surcharge, so there is no lift count on the invoice to argue over.
  • You want the notice terms in front of you before you sign, not discovered on the way out: 12 months, 60 days' notice before the renewal date, and a reminder from us 90 days before it.
  • You want us to issue and renew the Waste Transfer Note, so the paperwork a landlord or auditor asks for is already there.

How switching works

  1. Check the notice window on your current agreement first. The window, not the new supplier, decides when you can move.
  2. Tell us your postcode, the containers you use and your weekly volume. We confirm a start date within 24 to 48 hours.
  3. We deliver sacks or bins on the agreed date. If you are moving from bins, the new bins go in as the old ones go out; there is no period with two sets on site.
  4. We issue the Waste Transfer Note for each stream at the start, then renew it annually.
The full checklist is in our guide: How to switch commercial waste provider.

Common questions

What are Spectrum Recycling's notice terms?

Not published on its site, as read on 5 November 2026; no terms page or document is linked. Ask for the agreement in writing and read the term, renewal and notice clauses before you sign, with any supplier.

Does Spectrum Recycling collect sacks?

Its site publishes bins from 240 to 1100 litres, compactors, balers and skips, and no sack service. Ask them directly if that is what you need; we do collect sacks.

Sacks or bins?

Sacks suit a site with no storage and a small daily volume. Bins suit a site with a bin store and steady volume. Our guide on bags or bins for commercial waste covers the trade-offs.

Do you cover my postcode?

Central London and the WD postcodes. Call 0207 101 4003 with your postcode and we will tell you straight away.

How long is your agreement?

12 months as standard, renewing unless you give 60 days' notice before the renewal date, or rolling monthly at a higher rate. You see the agreement before you sign.

Who do I call if a collection is missed?

0207 101 4003. You speak to the person who runs the round.

Who published this

Capital Recycle Ltd wrote this page. We compete with Spectrum Recycling for bin customers in London, so read it as one competitor writing about another. We are an agile, independent London collector with our own caged tippers and our own sack stock. Everything we say about Spectrum Recycling comes from its own published pages and Companies House, listed below with the date we read them, and we have not quoted any Spectrum Recycling price. Our carrier registration CBDU466346 is on the public register, so check us as well.
Facts checked 5 November 2026.

Sources