As a result of your business activity, you will produce commercial waste and recycling. You have a responsibility (duty of care) to arrange for the collection and disposal of all recycling and waste generated by your business. 

This commercial waste and recycling cannot be disposed of using the councils household collection service or taken to the recycling centres or bring sites.

You can arrange for a collection from your premises or take the waste yourself to an authorised disposal facility. You must keep documentation showing what happened to your waste for a minimum of two years.

You must ensure your waste does not escape your control at any time and be able to show how you are disposing of it legally. You can be prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for failing to do this.

To meet your duty of care you must:

• Store and present all waste in a manner that ensures it does not (or has the potential to) escape your control, cause a nuisance or have a detrimental effect on the locality
  • Bins must be closed and secure (locked)
  • Not blocking pavements / access
  • Keep the area clean and free from litter
• Use a licensed waste carrier and an authorised disposal facility (you have a duty to check)
• Keep documentation for a minimum of two years and be able to produce this when asked by officers.