Environmental Policy

Our Environmental Commitment

At Clearfields, we are committed to minimising our environmental impact. The house clearance industry has historically sent vast quantities of usable items to landfill. We're working to change that — one clearance at a time.

95% Recycling Rate

We maintain a minimum 95% diversion-from-landfill rate across all our clearances. This means that for every tonne of material we clear, at least 950kg is recycled, donated or responsibly repurposed. Here's how we achieve this:

• On-site sorting — every item is assessed and categorised during the clearance
• Charity donation — furniture, clothing, books, kitchenware and electronics in usable condition go to local charities
• Materials recycling — metals, wood, textiles, paper, glass and plastics are sent to licensed recycling facilities
• WEEE compliance — electrical items are processed through approved WEEE recycling channels
• Hazardous waste — chemicals, paints and asbestos are handled through specialist licensed facilities

Our Charity Partners

We work with five local Bristol charities to ensure usable items find new homes:

• SOFA Project — furniture and household items redistributed to people in need across Bristol
• Emmaus Bristol — supporting formerly homeless people through their furniture social enterprise
• British Heart Foundation — furniture and electrical items sold in their charity shops
• Salvation Army — clothing, furniture and household goods
• Julian House — supporting vulnerable people across Bath and Bristol

Learn more about our charity partnerships.

Charity Donation Report

After every clearance, you receive a Charity Donation Report — a document showing exactly what was donated, to which charity, and when. This provides peace of mind that your items found good homes and is especially valued by probate clients managing estates.

Waste Carrier Licensing

We are registered as an Upper Tier Waste Carrier with the Environment Agency. This means we are legally authorised to transport, store and dispose of controlled waste. We provide Waste Transfer Notes for every job as required by law. See our licensing and accreditations page.

Our Zero-to-Landfill Goal

Our long-term goal is to achieve a 100% diversion rate — sending absolutely nothing to landfill. While we're not there yet, we're continually improving our processes, building new charity partnerships, and investing in better sorting and recycling infrastructure.

Carbon Footprint

We take practical steps to minimise our carbon footprint:

• Efficient route planning to reduce unnecessary mileage
• Full loads wherever possible — we don't run half-empty vans
• Local partnerships to minimise transport distances
• Regular vehicle maintenance for optimal fuel efficiency