Commercial Waste Duty of Care
Duty of care
All business have a legal duty of care to take all reasonable steps to keep waste safe. You can find out more information about your duty of care on GOV.UK
As part of your duty of care you must:
- store waste safely
- make sure your waste does not cause pollution to people or the environment
- package your waste in suitable containers so that it cannot fall out, blow away or escape
- make sure your waste is secure against unauthorised removal as far as you reasonably can
- have security in place to prevent the breaking open of containers and removal of waste by vandals, thieves, animals, accident or weather
Disposing of waste correctly
Under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, all businesses have a responsibility to:
- dispose of their waste correctly
- to make sure they only pass their waste to an authorised registered waste carrier for transportation and disposal
Businesses must:
- make sure the person removing the waste is either from a local authority or a licensed waste collection company
- make sure the person removing the is authorised to remove waste, transport it and dispose of it safely.
- provide a written description of the waste to the person who removes it. This is a Waste Transfer Note and both people involved in the transfer must complete it
You can check if the person or company taking your waste is a registered waste carrier by asking to see their Waste Carriers Licence or by visiting the Environment Agency Website.
Controlled Waste Transfer Note
All producers of business waste have to produce a valid Controlled Waste Transfer Note when asked by an enforcement agency such as a local authority or the Environment Agency.
As a waste producer you must, by law, have:
- a current waste transfer note
- keep ones that have expired for two years
We have a statutory duty to collect refuse from domestic properties, but we do not collect waste from business premises as part of business rates.
Businesses have to take out a separate contract for the removal of their commercial waste and we are one of many registered waste carriers.