All business owners are legally responsible for ensuring that 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 stored, transported, disposed of and recorded.
Reputable companies will be happy to prove they are licensed and provide you with a waste transfer note, detailing the type and quantity of waste removed.
Council officers are authorised to check trade waste collection arrangements, you are advised to keep all transfer notes, receipts and other documents available.
Illegal carriers are more likely to fly-tip your waste. If you know of any operating, or any illegal dumping, or are approached by one offering a trade waste collection service, please contact streetscene.enforcement@thanet.gov.uk
There are some simple steps to follow to make sure you get this right:
- Know what waste you are producing – think about what you can recycle.
- Find the right waste contractor – are they legal, reliable, and flexible?
- Check your waste contractors credentials – ask to see their waste certificate you can also do an instant check online – Register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers
- Get the right paperwork and keep hold of it – always get a copy of the waste transfer note from the person who takes your waste away. Make a note of the vehicle registration and vehicle details if you can.
Failure to ensure that a person or company disposing of your waste is properly registered can result in a fine of up to £5000 upon conviction. If your waste if fly-tipped by yourself or someone else it can result in an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment upon conviction.
Owning or running your own business means that you are responsible for disposing of any waste it produces in the correct way.
Under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, anyone who imports, keeps, stores, transports, treats or disposes of waste, has a duty to take all reasonable steps to keep it safe. This means that any waste produced by your business is regulated by law.
Every business, regardless of size, has a legal responsibility to dispose of its waste in the correct way, even after if has left the premises, until it is properly disposed of. This includes garden maintenance, bed and breakfast/guest houses, construction sub-contractors, online retailers, child minding services, home offices, hairdressers/barbers, sun tanning shops, beauty salons, cleaners, carers and any other home based businesses.
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No, commercial waste cannot be disposed of through household waste collections or at KCC household waste and recycling sites such as those in Margate or Sandwich. Also commercial waste cannot be disposed of in any public litter bin.
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