Commercial Waste AI Prompt Library

AI guides

Commercial Waste AI Prompt Library

Sixteen prompts, grouped by job, to paste into ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or Claude: a shortlist, a load estimate, a rules check, a piece of paperwork. Paste each one as written and fill in the brackets. Where a job needs more explaining, the line under the heading links to the guide behind it, and the four habits that keep the answers honest are at the bottom of the page.

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Which AI prompts help you choose a waste provider?

Four, covering the shortlist, the quote checklist, the two-quote comparison and the phone call. The reasoning is in choosing a provider with AI.

Build a shortlist for your postcode

Search current sources; shortlist three commercial waste companies for a [BUSINESS TYPE] in [LOCATION], [SACKS OR BINS], producing [STREAMS], collected [FREQUENCY]. Only include a company whose website or an official register shows: it serves this area and frequency; it publishes current prices and what's included, treating "from" figures as starting rates unless conditions match my volume; it displays its waste carrier number, upper tier and in date on the Environment Agency register; it has independent reviews with a visible rating, not ranked by count; it states, or marks unconfirmed, contract length, notice, weight or bin limits and surcharges; it keeps glass out of dry mixed recycling. Cite sources; never guess.

Use it when: nobody has quoted you yet. Run it in an assistant with browsing on; for a version built from your own numbers, build it on the AI guides hub. Check: every registration number on the register yourself, and whether the company displays that number on its own website. Our guide to who can legally transport commercial waste walks through the register.

Get a checklist for what a quote should include

You are helping a small business in London evaluate a waste quote. List what a quote for [DESCRIBE] should specify: frequency, how volume is measured, what's included (VAT, delivery of sacks or bins, collection, disposal, a waste transfer note), contract length, notice period and any surcharges.

Use it when: a quote’s landed and you want the gaps flagged. What each of those lines means is in the cost guide. Check: whether those gaps appear in your quote.

Compare two quotes side by side

You are helping a small business in London compare two waste quotes: [QUOTE A] [QUOTE B]. Build a worksheet on frequency, contract length, notice period and omissions, plus questions to close the gaps. Compare what each publishes about price and what is included, and treat a 'from' price as a starting rate unless its conditions match my volume. Don't say which is better value.

Use it when: two quotes are in and the gaps need laying out. Check: the figures the AI transcribed, against the originals.

Write the questions to ask on the phone

You are helping a small business in London prepare for a call with a waste provider. Write eight short questions covering the waste carrier registration number, what's included and what costs extra, contract length and notice period, and how the waste transfer note is issued.

Use it when: you’re about to call and don’t want to freeze. Check: you get an answer to each. A dodge is information too. Look the registration number up on the register yourself, and check whether the company displays it on its own website.

Which AI prompts help you assess what you’ve got?

Four, starting from a photo: the streams in it, a volume range, bag or bin for that range, and the items that change the price. The reasoning is in assessing your waste with AI.

Identify the waste streams in a photo

You are helping a small business in London identify waste streams from a photo. [ATTACH PHOTO]. List what you see under general waste, dry mixed recycling, cardboard, glass and food waste. Flag anything that needs separate handling, and state what a photo alone can't tell you.

Use it when: you’re not sure how to describe a waste pile to a collector. Check: what’s underneath the top layer. That’s where the surprises are.

Estimate the volume as a range

You are helping a small business in London estimate waste volume from a photo. [ATTACH PHOTO]. Give a low, likely and high estimate, not one figure, and say what's driving the gap.

Use it when: you need a rough size before choosing bags, a bin or a bigger job. Check: the gap. If it’s wide, the photo isn’t enough; give the collector the whole range with the photo, not the middle number on its own.

Decide bag or bin, and how often

You are helping a small business in London decide between bags and a bin. Weekly volume [RANGE], waste mostly [DESCRIBE]. Explain what tips a business from bags to a bin, and how often it would need collecting. No guessed price.

Use it when: you’ve got a volume range and need a shape for it. Check: your actual space. The AI can’t see your frontage.

Spot what changes the price

You are helping a small business in London understand what pushes a waste price up, without pricing anything. List the items and conditions: plasterboard, mattresses, upholstered seating, fridges, glass mixed into dry mixed recycling, and anything else that usually costs extra.

Use it when: you want problem items flagged before a quote. Check: whether any flagged item is actually in your load, and photograph it if it is.

Which AI prompts help with waste rules and paperwork?

Four, each built to make the assistant show a source or flag what it isn’t sure of: a rules answer, the law against common practice, what a waste transfer note must contain, and a checklist. The method is in reliable AI answers on waste rules.

Get a rules answer that cites GOV.UK, or admits it can’t

You are helping a small business in London understand a waste rule: [YOUR QUESTION]. Answer only from GOV.UK or other government sources, naming the page. If you're not confident, say so instead of guessing.

Use it when: you want a rules answer you can go and check. Check: open the named page yourself before you rely on it.

Separate what the law requires from what most businesses do

You are helping a small business in London understand a waste obligation: [YOUR QUESTION]. Give two answers: what the law strictly requires, with a source, and what most businesses actually do. Don't blend the two.

Use it when: you hear conflicting versions of what’s compulsory. Check: which answer you’re acting on. The two aren’t always the same.

List what a waste transfer note must contain

You are helping a small business in London understand duty of care paperwork. Citing GOV.UK, explain what a waste transfer note must contain, and what I as the producer must keep on file and for how long.

Use it when: you’ve never seen a waste transfer note. Check: the retention period against the duty of care code of practice before you rely on it.

Turn a rules answer into an action checklist

You are helping a small business in London act on a waste rule already explained: [PASTE PREVIOUS ANSWER]. Turn this into a short ordered checklist. Mark anything you're not fully confident about.

Use it when: you’ve got the explanation and need the to-do version. Check: every item it marked uncertain. That’s where to look again.

Which AI prompts help you set up and run a collection?

Four for the admin: the first enquiry, a missing transfer note, an invoice line that doesn’t match, and a one-off clear-out. None of them needs browsing.

Write the enquiry email

You are helping a small business in London write a first enquiry to a waste collector. Postcode [POSTCODE], business type [BUSINESS TYPE], need [DESCRIBE]. Write a short, direct email asking for a quote.

Use it when: you know roughly what’s needed and want the email out today. Check: it hasn’t guessed your volume or waste type. Fill those in.

Chase a missing waste transfer note

You are helping a small business in London chase a collector who hasn't sent a transfer note for a collection on [DATE] at [POSTCODE]. Write a short, firm email asking for it, noting record-keeping is my responsibility too.

Use it when: a collection’s done but the paperwork hasn’t turned up. Check: how long you’ve waited. A couple of days doesn’t need a firm tone.

Query an invoice line

You are helping a small business in London query an invoice line: [PASTE LINE], against what I expected: [PASTE QUOTE DETAIL]. Write a short email asking the provider to explain the difference.

Use it when: a charge doesn’t match what you agreed. Check: your quote and any contract variation first.

Plan a clear-out

You are helping a small business in London plan a one-off clear-out of [DESCRIBE]. List what to have ready before a collector quotes or arrives: access, timing, items that need separating, and anything worth photographing.

Use it when: you’re staring at a clear-out and don’t know where to start. Check: access and timing against the site. The AI is working from a description.

How do you use these prompts well?

Four habits cover it: paste rather than paraphrase, give the postcode, ask for a range, and check the date on anything the assistant cites.

Paste, don’t paraphrase

Retyping from memory drops the structure that does the work: the range instead of a number, the flag for what the AI doesn’t know. Paste the block and change only the bracketed parts.

Give it the postcode

Presentation times and collection rules vary by borough. Skip the postcode and you get a generic UK answer, and a shortlist that may not cover your street. Where a bracket’s there for one, use it.

Ask for a range, never a number

Anything about size or weight should ask for a low, a likely and a high figure, not one number. A single number sounds precise and usually isn’t.

Check the date on anything it cites

An AI’s training data has a cut-off, and waste rules move. If an answer cites a date or a fee, open the GOV.UK page it names before you rely on it. A figure with no source is a guess.

For the walkthroughs behind these prompts, see the commercial waste guides. If you’d rather skip the prompts and send us the photo, get a quote or ring 0207 101 4003.