Bath & North East Somerset Council - Commercial Waste & Recycling

Commercial Waste & Recycling

Disposal of Commercial Waste

The information on the following pages aims to help traders understand the waste legislation affecting their business and the measures they can adopt to ensure they’re compliant with the regulations. It also provides information to help them choose the most appropriate waste and recycling collection and/or disposal services for their business.

A summary of the services available by various commercial waste collection contractors operating within the local area, including the Council’s own commercial waste services, is provided for reference.

A Glossary of Terms readily used by the waste management providers has also been created to help businesses decipher industry jargon.

How to Dispose of Commercial Waste

All businesses have a legal Duty of Care to make sure the waste they produce is disposed or recycled in a safe and legal manner, either by themselves or by an Environment Agency approved Waste Carrier. Businesses will find themselves liable to financial penalties should they not comply with the regulations.

The checklist below sets out the issues you should consider as part of your business’ Duty of Care before appointing a waste and recycling collection contractor.

For a full outline of your responsibilities, we recommend that you read the Waste Legislation pages provided by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Checklist for Businesses

Action

Check the contractor is a registered Waste Carrier

·       ask to see a copy of their registration certificate

·       if in doubt check with the Environment Agency (Tel: 03708 506 506; Email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk)

ü

Ensure the contractor provides you with a Waste Transfer Note

·       at the time of each collection or annually (if it’s the same type of waste each collection) – you are required by law to keep these notes for at least two years.

ü

Use the Waste Hierarchy

·       prevent, prepare to reuse, recycle, recovery, disposal. Under the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011, all businesses have a duty to consider a more sustainable way of dealing with their waste before they dispose of it.

·       You are required to declare that you have considered the waste hierarchy on each Waste Transfer Note.

ü

Check with the contractor where your waste is being taken

·       the landfill or treatment facility must have an Environmental Permit or Exemption Certificate from the Environment Agency to operate legally.

·       Take a copy of their permit and keep it for your records.

ü

Ensure you’re familiar with the Commercial Waste Collection Hours

·       Avoid a £75 enforcement fine.

·       The commercial waste collection hours are in place to keep our streets clean, attractive and safe for visitors and residents alike.

·       Commercial waste can only be placed out on the street for collection on the right day and the at the right time.

ü

DON’T ……

hand over your waste to a passing ‘man with a van’

they may not be registered as a waste carrier and you will not know what are going to do with your waste

O

Don’t use the nearest recycling centre

even if you are leaving the right type of waste, you will not have the required waste transfer note paperwork.

It’s also illegal to deposit trade waste at one of these sites.

O

Don’t put your commercial waste out with your household waste and recycling collection.

Neither your Business nor Council Tax covers that service.

O

Don’t assume all the above will not apply to you as a small business

this law applies to all businesses.

O

For more information and guidance on how to deal with your waste responsibly, visit the Business Link website.

Where can I dispose of Commercial Waste?

You CAN dispose of your commercial waste:-

through a licensed waste collection contractor
a licensed waste transfer station or disposal site

You CANNOT dispose of commercial waste: -

in household waste bins
at a council run Recycling Centre
at an unlicensed waste site
through an unlicensed waste carrier

Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

Meaning

Co-mingled Collection

This refers to a collection system in which different recycling materials are stored, collected and mixed together in the collection vehicle instead of being sorted into different compartments. These materials are then later sorted at a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF).

Duty of Care

Refers to your legal responsibility to ensure that you produce, store, transport and dispose of your commercial waste without harming the environment.

Environmental Permit

Anyone who recycles, treats, stores or disposes of waste must have an Environmental Permit (or registered waste exemption) from the Environment Agency.

Materials Recycling Facility (MRF)

Material is mechanically sorted, then baled, shredded, crushed, and compacted in preparation for onward transportation to market.

Responsibility Deal

Waste management companies who have signed up to Defra’s Responsibility Deal offer clear and transparent contract terms to small businesses and adhere to the good practice principles agreed by Environmental Services Assoc. (ESA) and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

SIC Code

This must be included on each Waste Transfer Note and is the Standard industrial Classification code for your industry. The Environment Agency website lists the various SIC codes for each type of industry.

Waste Carrier

Anyone transporting waste that they have not produced, or their own industrial waste, must be registered with the Environment Agency (EA) as a waste carrier.

The EA issue upper tier and lower tier carriers licenses depending on the type of waste being transported. All those registered are issued with a waste carriers certificate.

Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011

These regulations came into force in March 2011 and implement revisions made to the Waste Framework Directive. The key issues affecting businesses is that they are required to ensure

Waste Exemption

A waste exemption is a very specific type of low risk waste handling operation that does not require a permit.

Waste Hierarchy

This sets out five steps to dealing with waste in the most sustainable manner possible. It gives top priority to preventing waste in the first place. When waste is created, it gives priority to preparing it for re-use, then recycling, then other recovery such as energy recovery, and last of all disposal (for example landfill).

Waste Transfer Note

This note details the transfer of waste from one person to the next, acting as an audit trail from the point of production of the waste, tracking it to its final disposal point.

Every collection from a business premise must be covered by a waste transfer note and notes kept by the business for a minimum of 2 years.

Contact Details for this page:

Team:

Waste Services

Address:

Keynsham Town Hall, Temple Street, Keynsham, BS31 1ED

Phone:

01225 39 40 41

Fax:

01225 477809

Email:

councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk

Minicom:

01225 477309

Author:

Waste Services

Business

Commercial Waste - Collection and Disposal

Commercial Waste Collection Hours

Commercial Waste Frequently Asked Questions

Commercial Waste Minimisation

Commercial Waste Recycling

A to Z

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Related Information

Action
Check the contractor is a registered Waste Carrier	· ask to see a copy of their registration certificate · if in doubt check with the Environment Agency (Tel: 03708 506 506; Email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk)	ü
Ensure the contractor provides you with a Waste Transfer Note	· at the time of each collection or annually (if it’s the same type of waste each collection) – you are required by law to keep these notes for at least two years.	ü
Use the Waste Hierarchy	· prevent, prepare to reuse, recycle, recovery, disposal. Under the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011, all businesses have a duty to consider a more sustainable way of dealing with their waste before they dispose of it. · You are required to declare that you have considered the waste hierarchy on each Waste Transfer Note.	ü
Check with the contractor where your waste is being taken	· the landfill or treatment facility must have an Environmental Permit or Exemption Certificate from the Environment Agency to operate legally. · Take a copy of their permit and keep it for your records.	ü
Ensure you’re familiar with the Commercial Waste Collection Hours	· Avoid a £75 enforcement fine. · The commercial waste collection hours are in place to keep our streets clean, attractive and safe for visitors and residents alike. · Commercial waste can only be placed out on the street for collection on the right day and the at the right time.	ü

DON’T ……
hand over your waste to a passing ‘man with a van’	they may not be registered as a waste carrier and you will not know what are going to do with your waste	O
Don’t use the nearest recycling centre	even if you are leaving the right type of waste, you will not have the required waste transfer note paperwork. It’s also illegal to deposit trade waste at one of these sites.	O
Don’t put your commercial waste out with your household waste and recycling collection.	Neither your Business nor Council Tax covers that service.	O
Don’t assume all the above will not apply to you as a small business	this law applies to all businesses.	O