Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, every business has a legal duty of care to ensure that the waste produced, however small or large the amount, is disposed of properly by a licensed waste carrier.
Your responsibility
Business owners are responsible for dealing with the disposal of their business waste, including recycling where possible.
You are responsible for your waste from when you produce it until you have transferred it to an authorised person.
Under Environmental Protection Act 1990 anyone who produces, imports, keeps, stores, transports, treats or disposes of waste has a duty to take all reasonable steps to keep it safe.
You must:
- keep waste to a minimum by doing everything you reasonably can to prevent, reuse, recycle or recover waste (in that order)
- sort and store waste safely and securely
- complete a waste transfer note for each load of waste that leaves your premises (records must be kept for at least 2 years).
- check if your waste carrier is registered to dispose of waste
- not allow the waste carrier to dispose of your waste illegally (and report them if they do)
- have extra responsibilities if you’re dealing with hazardous waste.
- under no circumstances dispose of your trade waste through your household waste collection
Find more information read the GOV.UK guidance on disposing of business waste.
Fines
By law businesses must keep a copy of their waste transfer note for up to 2 years.
Failure to produce documentation including waste transfer notes on demand can result in a fixed penalty notice of £300 or prosecution where the maximum fine is £5000.