Business waste and recycling
A good waste management plan will save your business money, will reduce its impact on the environment and will help you comply with the law.
Business waste and the law
There are a number of important pieces of legislation concerning waste that businesses need to be aware of and comply with, the most important of these is the waste Duty of Care.
The waste Duty of Care applies to anyone who produces, carries, keeps, disposes of, treats, imports or has control of waste in England or Wales and requires that waste is kept safe, is dealt with responsibly and is only given to businesses authorised to take it.
The government has issued a code of practice under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 that explains the waste Duty of Care:
If you run a business it's important to make sure the waste carrier you use is registered with the Environment Agency and that they provide you with the correct documentation (eg waste transfer notes and a formal waste contract). If in doubt, call the Environment Agency on 0800 807 060 (find out about call charges).
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Your personal information will be used by our in house commercial waste team and collection services. In the case of food waste customers your personal information will be shared with our contractor, Grays Waste Services Ltd. Your personal data will be destroyed 2 years after the agreement ends and contract.
If you are concerned about how the council is using your data, please contact our Data Protection Officer via dpo@southwark.gov.uk or on 020 7525 5000.
More information about your rights is available on our website, or via the Information Commissioner.
Commercial waste collection service providers
There are a number of commercial waste collection service providers that businesses can use to collect their waste and these can be easily found through a simple internet search.
Southwark Council provides commercial waste and recycling collection services for businesses located throughout the borough. You can contact us the following ways:
T: 020 7525 2627
E: commercial.waste@southwark.gov.uk
Page last updated: 14 November 2019
