Every business in England and Wales has a legal Duty of Care to ensure waste is disposed of responsibly.
If you produce waste you must take all reasonable steps to keep the waste safe. If you give it to someone else you must be sure they are authorised to take it and can transport, process or dispose of it safely and legally. If you break this law you can be fined an unlimited amount.
If you run a business you are legally responsible for making sure that your waste is handled and disposed of properly. You must comply with the Government's Duty of Care legislation which sets out how commercial or business waste should be:
Business and trade waste is not accepted at Household Waste Recycling Sites and should not be presented with your household waste.
The Duty of Care makes it your responsibility to ensure that your waste is stored securely. It must be stored in secure containers that protect it from being blown away or disturbed by animals.
Waste must be transported to and disposed of at a licensed commercial waste site. You can deliver it yourself as long as your licensed, or have it collected by a licensed waste collection company.
If you pass your waste on to someone else, check that they are authorised to take it. All companies licensed to carry or accept waste are listed on the Environment Agency website - Public Registers.
When you hand over your waste to a third party, you must complete a Waste Transfer Note, describing whether the waste is loose or contained and what it consists of. This protects the people that handle your waste and allows them to ensure that it is disposed of safely. You must keep records of these notes for at least two years.
Find out more about Waste Transfer Notes from the Business Link website:
If you need to dispose of hazardous waste - including car batteries and fluorescent tubes - you also need to comply with separate regulations.
Tendring District Council provides a bag based commercial waste collection service, suitable for businesses producing small amounts of non-hazardous waste.
Sacks can be purchased via our waste collection contractor Veolia. For current charges or to arrange collection please telephone Veolia direct on 01255 431620.
Many local companies can provide a wheeled bin or skip based waste collection service and recycling services for trade waste. See Yellow Pages or yell.com.
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