Return crockery, glassware and cutlery unwashed. Scrape plates, empty glasses, pack the crates. The depot handles commercial cleaning. No rinsing required.
The dirty return service applies to all tableware hired through Expo Hire: plates, side plates, bowls, cups and saucers, all glassware types, and all cutlery. After service ends, the preparation required is minimal:
That is the full preparation. The driver collects the crates on the agreed collection day. Commercial cleaning, sanitising and quality check takes place at the depot before the items go out again.
The dirty return service applies to tableware only. All other hired items — furniture, outdoor equipment, mobile bars, linen, cooking and catering equipment — should be returned clean, dry and packed as they arrived.
Items returned with broken glass mixed in with intact pieces, or with contamination beyond normal food residue, may attract a handling surcharge. Heavily soiled items — dried food build-up from items left unwashed for several days, or grease requiring extended soaking — can also attract a cleaning surcharge. Normal event use does not produce either of these situations.
The breakdown team at a gala dinner typically faces two hours of washing after service ends. If the venue has a hard handover deadline — common at hotel ballrooms, civic buildings and hired venues — the washing has to happen fast or the venue extends its charges. Packing crates dirty means the breakdown team strikes the room the moment the last guest leaves, hits the deadline, and has the van loaded and moving before the venue overtime kicks in.
Catering staff at a wedding are already stretched through a long service day. At the end of the evening, the combination of tiredness, a busy kitchen, and limited washing facilities means glassware washing is when breakages cluster. Returning items dirty removes that pressure point entirely and cuts the end-of-night workload significantly.
Outdoor events and festivals frequently have no washing facility at all. On-site caterers working from temporary kitchens or trailer units have nowhere practical to wash 600 wine glasses. The dirty return service makes large-scale outdoor catering with hired tableware viable without requiring a separate washing infrastructure.
Corporate hospitality at stadia, racecourses and conference venues often runs with fixed turnaround windows. The next event in the same space may be starting within hours. Dirty return allows caterers to clear tables, consolidate crates and exit the space within the contracted window.
The difference between depot cleaning and rushed end-of-event washing is measurable. Depot dishwashers operate at 82 to 90°C with high-pressure jets and commercial detergent dosing. Every cycle includes a sanitise rinse that meets BS EN 1276 standards for commercial food hygiene. Items that handwashing leaves with grease marks, lipstick, or dried-on residue come out of a depot machine visibly clean.
Venue dishwashers — where they exist — typically operate at lower temperatures and are designed for continuous low-volume throughput, not bulk clearing of 600 items after a service. The combination of speed, volume, and end-of-shift tiredness produces results that commercial machines reliably improve on.
Correct packing matters for two reasons: it prevents breakage in transit, and it speeds up depot processing. Keep item types together — plates with plates, glasses with glasses, cutlery together. Mixed crates cause breakages when items of different shapes and weights shift during the journey and slow down processing because the depot team has to sort before washing.
Pack glasses in the glass racks that arrived with the order. These are specifically designed to hold glassware securely without stacking pressure. Do not place glasses in general crates with plates or bowls.
No. Pre-rinsing is not required. The service is designed for dirty return — scrape solid waste into a bin, empty liquid from glasses, and pack. If you prefer to rinse, rinsed items are fine to return but it is not necessary.
Pack broken pieces carefully — wrapped in a napkin or placed in a separate bag inside the crate, not loose among intact items. Breakages of crockery and glassware during normal event use are covered by the free Minor Damage Waiver included on every order.
Yes. Keep plates with plates, glasses with glasses, and cutlery together. Mixing item types in the same crate causes breakage during transport and slows processing at the depot.
No. Linen must be returned dry and free of excessive food soiling. Heavily stained or wet linen may attract a laundering surcharge. The dirty return service applies to crockery, glassware and cutlery only.
The driver has a standard 15-minute collection window. Items should be packed and accessible within 50 metres of the vehicle. Waiting beyond the standard window is charged at £120 per hour or part thereof.