The character of a fireplace is determined by the mantel that surrounds it. If you have recently installed a fireplace in your living room and now you are having a hard time choosing the most appropriate mantel style keep reading because we will present to you four very interesting and unorthodox mantel designs.

  1. Greek/Roman style- As you have already guessed this style involves ancient columns. Simply flank your fireplace with plain white Greek or Roman columns. The mantel itself should represent an ancient Roman or Greek fresco on which are carved good looking men that either are fighting mythological creatures or are wooing beautiful women.
  2. Double pleasure- This is one of the most popular designs nowadays. Before you surround your fireplace with a mantel, mount a flat screen above the fireplace. This way your fireplace will not only provide you warmth during the winter but entertainment as well. Once done place a traditional wooden mantel around the fireplace. At the finishing touch by framing the flat screen in a wooden frame that mimics the style of the mantel. This will create the illusion that your fireplace has a built-in TV.
  3. Stone mantel- You have for sure seen backyard fireplaces that are made out of stone. So why don’t you bring this type of mantel inside and incorporate it on your living room fireplace. This will give a more natural ambience to your living room and will for sure facilitate the mantel cleaning as stone is an easy to clean material. If stone is too expensive for your mantel budget you can substitute it with brick.
  4. Stone and wood design- This is an amazing mantel design that will surely add a sophisticated touch to your living room. Begin by building a stone step in front of the fireplace and then flank the fireplace with stone columns. Cover the wall above the fireplace with stone pieces. Now add a wooden mantel on the stoned wall and place a wooden surface on the stoned step.

When the mantel is complete hire a company that provides rubbish removals to come and clean the junk that has accumulated. You can find high quality rubbish removals in the rubbish removals section of the yellow pages. If you are worried about the price of such services don’t be because most rubbish removal companies provide rubbish removals at very affordable prices.
Once the junk is removed, light up your fireplace and enjoy the warmth of the fire.Junk collection

Waste collection and disposal methods, also known as waste management practices have come a long way since their early days, however they are still far from perfect, but improvements are made every day. The necessity to develop and implement better, more efficient and sustainable waste management practices is ever growing, just like the relentless development and advancement of industry and production – which is perhaps the main reason why waste management needs constant improvement.

Modern Waste management in LondonWaste management practices have been around since the eighteenth century when the industrial revolution drew people from rural areas and villages to cities in search of work. An increase of population in cities, meant an increase in consumption, which in turn translated to a necessity to collect and dispose of waste effectively. However back in those days throwing things outside city bounds was sufficient enough i.e. this is how tips came to existence. Mind you, back then there were hardly any toxic or hazardous materials to pollute and contaminate soil and water.

With the advancement of chemistry, industry grew bigger and dirtier, and it wasn’t long before the need for some seriously effective waste management came about. Long story short, industrially developed nations became quite aware of the need to deal with waste accordingly and started to come up with different solutions. In time, there was the landfill, then there was the incinerator, then there were compactors, and finally modern waste management practices like recycling, processing and reuse of salvageable materials.

These days, one of the management practices used in urbanised areas is specialised rubbish clearance London based companies which offer this service are quite experienced and very efficient in their work, otherwise they wouldn’t be a functioning part of the industry.

When it comes to junk removal in London, service providers are constantly trying to optimise and make their services more efficient and cost effective. For instance, many of the better companies which deal with waste clearance in London will be able to organise the service just by supplying them a clear photo of the items and materials to be disposed of.

In London waste clearance is just one of the ways for dealing with discarded items and materials. Some other recently developed ways to deal with waste are gasification and pyrolysis. Both produce synthetic gas or oil which can be used for production and industry. There are plans to use these by-products for domestic purposes too.

Illegal dumping of junk and rubbish on public and private land in the UK costs a total of hundred million pounds every year. Fly-tipped rubbish on the roadThe cost is shared between local councils and private land owners who have both suffered from fly tipping – the term used to describe this appalling practice. There are many companies, watchdog organisations, activist and conservation groups which are furious about this, especially if only half a percent of all recorded fly tipping cases, ever make it to court.

Rubbish removal companies are also suffering from illegal fly tippers as it seems they cannot provide customers with the right type of service, or can they? Blaming rubbish removal companies in London and the surrounding counties for such incidents is wrong and groundless, simply because they have a proper working service, which is used by many legit customers. However, fly dumping accidents are caused by people who choose to disregard regulations and break laws all in the name of not paying a small fee to have their rubbish removed by a specialised service provider.

A recent report compiled by order of one of London’s most renowned rubbish removals companies has been a real eye opener for many local councils. In turns out that local councils should also take some of the blame for fly dumping because bulky waste collection and management is insufficient in some parts of the country.

More so, the costs of using recycling plants, compacting depots, incinerators, purifiers and landfills as a last resort, are quite high for natural persons – which may be another reason why fly tipping is such a big problem.

The report also suggested that such counties should make their domestic rubbish clearances and collection services more frequent. The scope of waste materials collected from households and business should also be expanded, as this way a local council will have more control over waste being disposed of, and ensure this is done properly. the fly dumping report suggests that councils which have managed to curb the problem or keep it at bay should compile a list of best practices and recommendations on how to deal with the problem effectively.

Public awareness is perhaps the most powerful weapon in this case. It is highly doubtful that local residents will be happy to have fifty million pounds of their tax money spend on cleaning someone else’s rubbish, which on top of all was dumped illegally.

Who says that old and broken items cannot be useful? If you are interested to learn how you can reuse and repurpose your out-of-date and broken items keep reading as we will turn your attention on three repurposing projects which you can conduct on your own without any professional help.

repurposing-furnitureBefore you commence working on any of the projects from down bellow make sure that you find and hire a professional rubbish removal company that provides reliable junk disposal services. You will require such services because these projects tend to produce a lot of waste that you will be too tired to clear. Also why lose time and energy when you can hire a professional company that will conduct your rubbish removal for you.

Now that you have taken care of the junk clearance & collection by booking in advance a professional clearance company here are the repurposing projects:

  1. Skateboard bench – If you have old skateboards that are sitting in your garage or basement and taking space, you can easily convert them into a porch or patio bench. For the task you will need to find a broken bench frame. You can find such a frame in antique stores and pawn shops. Once you bought the bench frame remove the broken wooden planks from it. Then get your skateboards and cut them in equal halves. Now drill four holes in each skateboard piece and arrange the pieces on the bench frame in a chair-like position. End the project by screwing the pieces in place.
  2. Sweater upholstery – If your dinning chair’s upholstery is old and worn you can replace it by using your old sweaters. Simply cut the sleeves from the sweater and use them to upholster the backrests. Use the torso sections of your sweater to upholster the seats of the chairs.
  3. Wine rack – Take your old shoe organizer and repaint it in a bright color such as orange, yellow, red and etc. Next take two legs from an old dinning or coffee table and attach them to the shoe organizer. Now add some wooden pieces to the shoe shelve in order to create squares in which you will arrange your wine bottles. However do not convert the entire shoe shelve into a wine rack. Leave a part of it intact so that you can arrange you wine glasses and accessories. When done place your new wine rack in your kitchen and arrange your wine bottles in it.

In today’s article we will show you how you can turn your basement into a safe and amusing children playground.

kids-playroom-junkBegin by repainting the walls, as plain white walls are simply said boring. Use vivid colors that will give a more playful mood to the room and that will provoke the creativity and imagination of your children. Once you have repainted the walls choose a wall and repaint its middle section with blackboard paint. This is a special paint that converts an ordinary wall into a blackboard. When the paint has dried mount a wooden fame around it and voila your children’s playroom will have a blackboard on which your kids will be able to draw, write and even do their homework.

On the floor place a wall to wall carpet that will protect your children from falls and bumps. When you have placed the carpet, furnish the room with soft chairs and install a ball pool in the middle of the room, if the room is big enough. Also make sure that you place at least one desk on which you kids can draw, read, write, study and so on.

Along the walls hang shelves and arrange numerous children books on the shelves. Also underneath the shelves arrange plastic storage containers in which you will store your children’s toys. Try to explain to your children that they should place their toys in the containers once they are done playing. This will develop their hygiene and cleaning habits.

End the conversion process by placing a television in the room. This way your children will have their own television where they can play video games, listen to music and watch their favorite cartoons and TV shows.

Once the playroom is done hire a removal company that provides rubbish removals to come and clean the accumulated rubbish. You must use professional clearance & disposal specialists because for one you will be too tired to clean and two you will want to ensure that the room is 100% clean before you allow your children to enter. You can find numerous rubbish clearance companies in the rubbish removals section of the yellow pages. However do not hire the first company that provides junk hauling, instead scout several firms and hire the one that offer the best clearance services at the best prices.

Once the rubbish is cleared and the room is clean, call you kids and show them their playroom.

Many companies undergo office clearances, an office clearance is not necessarily brought upon by a bankruptcy or other unfavorable circumstances. In many cases, a full scale office clearance is a long awaited project which aims to get rid of old and redundant office electronics and equipment in order to open up room for the new.

If you are an office manager or business owner who is trying to organize a quick, easy and affordable office clearance read on for some useful and easy to understand tips and advice on how to deal with the situation effectively. Keep in mind that there will be lots of junk and rubbish left at the end, therefore you will need to organize for specialized rubbish removals service. This is so, because London local council regulations disallow the disposal of certain items and materials through conventional means.

office-junk-clearanceStart your clearance by sorting the office items and equipment in two groups – the items which you will be keeping, and the items which are to be disposed of. Redundant office electronics are first on the menu. If you are planning on purchasing or have already purchased new electronic equipment for your office, then by all means get rid of the old.

Electronic waste is also subject to regulations so consult with the company you selected for your office rubbish removals and they will know what to do with those old electronics.

Office furniture comes next. Furniture, just like computers doesn’t take too long to wear down and become old fashioned. If you are also refurbishing the office, then you can either sell pieces of furniture which are still in good nick, or you can have them cleared away. Many of the London based rubbish removals companies can give items such as old furniture to charity. More specific pieces of office equipment such as filing cabinets, can be either recycled or sold on for profit. There are places where the classic filing cabinet is still a much needed piece of office equipment, despite being in the digital age.

There are certain regulations allowing for preferential tax schemes as well as other government benefits for companies which clear their office premises of inefficient electronics, and other features and items, on a regular basis, as to keep the office greener and more efficient. If your company qualifies, then you have every reason and excuse to do office clearances more often.

It is astonishing how many people are willing to pay good money to have junk relocated from their current address, to the one their moving to. Obviously moving service providers around London don’t care too much as to what type of junk they are booked to transport but wouldn’t it be more economical and logical to get rid of items you no longer need before organizing the removal of your household – yes, it would be.

moving-out-junkSo, how can you deal with all the junk and rubbish you have lying around, without too much hassle or wasting time and effort? Sell it of course! A garage or yard sale is an ideal way to get rid of the things you no longer need and make some money while you are at it. As the old saying goes – one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, so get cracking and see what you can make of it. Sort through your belongings and single out the items you can sell, don’t bother keeping a pile of maybe junk as maybe will never come. Things which are obviously worthless or broken beyond repair should be disposed of.

You can consult with your local council on how to get rid of such items, or you can organize for rubbish removal service and have everything taken away in one go, quickly and with no fuss.

Clearing away junk and clutter from your residence will also make your property removal much easier and more efficient as there will be less to pack and secure, and fewer items to transport, which is also likely to reduce the overall cost of moving. Relocation companies in London charge you according to the weight and volume of items being moved so shaving a few pounds off the load will leave you with more money to spare. If you come across valuable items which you like to keep, separate those from the rest and start thinking how to pack and secure these properly so they last the trip. If you are not sure how to go about this task, or you don’t have sufficient amount of heavy duty packing and wrapping materials you can let the man with the van do this for you.

Usually the van drivers are qualified professional movers, so they will have no trouble in assisting you with all preparations and aspects of the removal.

So you have bought a house with a nice backyard which you want to convert into a garden. However you are a total rookie in the world of gardening and you are not sure what plants you should select. Down bellow we have listed six species that are ideal for rookie gardeners because they are easy to grow and maintain.

However, before you begin planting, contact a company that offers junk clearance – London based services. The reason why you must book such a contractor is that while creating the perfect garden you’d most probably generate a lot of rubbish which you will be too tired to remove once the planting is over. You will easily find such a company because when it comes to waste removal in London has numerous contractors that offer similar services.

  1. Hostas – the only difficult thing about hostas is selecting the exact species that you wish to have in your garden. The truth is that their variety is immense. There are countless types of hostas and all of them have their own charm. Hostas are colorful plants that are easy to grow plants and that like shady areas.
  2. Daylilies – these beautiful flowers are very easy to grow and they provide colorful blooms for a longer period of time. However even when they are not flourishing they still provide amazing hues of green which will enhance the beauty of your garden.
  3. Black-eyed Susan – these flowers are very resilient and can be grown in almost any type of soil. They bloom late in the summer or in the early autumn and when they do they provide the garden with a rich yellow color.
  4. Lamb’s ear – these plants have unique foliage that provides an excellent background to the more colorful flower and plants. The best thing about lamb’s ear is that it is a very enduring plant that requires little maintenance.
  5. Mint – the variety of mint plants is immense. The best thing about it is that it grows as easily as weed. But unlike weed it provides a lush green setting. To prevent mint from overgrowing and spreading throughout your entire garden, plant it in metal containers.
  6. Sedum – also known as Stonecrop, Sedum is a beautiful plan with amazing ornamental leaves. The plant is very easy to grow and it thrives in dry soil. In fact the only thing that can cause the sedum to die is excessively wet soil.

garden-waste-cleanHaving a beautiful garden is great, but gardens need a lot of attention and care. If you have recently bought a house with a big and colorful garden which you want to keep that way, keep on reading because we have listed down some very helpful garden maintenance tips.

Trim the plants regularly – the best way to control the growth of your garden plants is to trim them on a regular basis. Also by trimming your plants regularly you won’t have to deal with vast amounts of garden rubbish, instead you can leave the small trimmed parts of the plant to fall and to organically enrich the quality of the soil.

Water regularly – plants and flowers need three things to thrive, water, sunlight and nutritious soil. So make sure that you water your plants regularly. Also twice a year clean your irrigation system to ensure that it will keep up working properly. Keep in mind that sometimes a week of drought is more than enough to ruin a perfectly good garden.

Remove the weed – very few things can ruin a garden as quickly as blooming weeds. Weeds tend to suffocate your plants, so take care of them on a regular basis. Do not neglect the weed removal, as one day you will wake up and see that your garden is totally ruined. Spray weed killer over the garden. The weed killer will stop the weed growth and you will be able to remove the weed more easily.

Add dirt – as we’ve mentioned above plants need nutritious soil to thrive, so every now and then add a new layer of dirt in your garden. This will balance the nutritious elements in the soil and your plants and flowers will continue to grow all healthy and beautiful.

Remove the rubbish – gardens accumulate a lot of rubbish. At times the rubbish is so excessive that it cannot be removed without professional help. In fact using professionals that provide garden clearance services is the best way to deal with the rubbish in your garden. So read the junk removal – London section in the yellow pages and find and hire a contractor to come and remove the rubbish from your garden.

By complying with these five simple garden maintenance routines you will be able to preserve your amazing home garden and enjoy it throughout the whole year.

trash-canSome junk piles can be removed only by professionals that are certified to provide junk removal services. If you have such rubbish and you must remove it from your property keep reading because we have listed down some tips which will allow you to find the best contractor for the job.

The first thing that you must know is that there are numerous companies in London that offer the services. So don’t make the most common mistake of hiring the first company that you stumble on. Instead read carefully the yellow pages and the classifieds in the newspapers and gather as many contact details as you can.

Next call each company and demand for a free quote. If a contractor is reluctant to send you a free quote, discard it and consider only the companies that are willing to provide you with a quote. Now compare each quote and filter the various companies into two piles, one pile for the firms that fit your budget and one for the ones that are way too expensive for you.

The next thing that you must do is to compare the services that each company offers. Always look for a company that has a comprehensive list of services offered at appropriate price. This filtering will narrow down even more your search.

Once that you have narrowed down the list to five contractors, visit the website of each one of them and read the customer testimonials section. This way you will get to learn which companies offers reliable and high quality junk removal based in London services and which don’t.

Also while you are exploring the websites of the different companies read the company policy section. It is not mandatory but it is preferable if you opt for a company that offers eco-friendly junk removal service in London based services.

Before you make your final decision, take some time to consider the following factors. For one you must consider the amount of the junk that you must remove. If you have a lot of rubbish to deal with you must hire the company that has the necessary resources to handle the job.

Another factor that you must consider is your time schedule. If some of the firms cannot meet your deadlines simply discard them. Know that there is always a company that will be able to comply with your requirements.

Last but not least, look for a company that is willing to follow a tight deadline. This way you will be able to determine an date by which the project must be completed.

Dealing with rubbish is part of life, whether running a household or business, people are faced with having to dispose of residential and commercial waste on a regular basis. In many cases this is easier said than done and sometimes removing waste becomes a laborious issue. If looking for tips and clever tricks on how to minimise waste in the workplace or home, or perhaps make dealing with waste more efficient and affordable then by all means check out the Free Advice section of our official company website. There our readers will find a large number of articles and content on waste management, innovations and developments in waste processing technology, as well as information on kerbside collection, local and national waste management regulations and much more. If looking to reduce and reuse in order to minimise the waste your household or business generates watch out for the ‘green living and efficient working’ articles our writers compile. Tips on how to reduce energy consumption at home or at work can also be found in the Free Advice section of our website. If you would like to see a specific topic or particular issue discussed and researched by our contributors feel free to let us know.