All businesses produce waste and most types of business waste are classed as controlled waste. You have a legal responsibility to ensure that you produce, store, transport and dispose of controlled waste without harming the environment.
Businesses have a duty of care to ensure their waste is disposed of properly, and must retain waste transfer notes for a period of up to two years to prove this is the case.
What does the council do?
Environmental Health Enforcement Officers are actively out in the District, inspecting businesses to ensure they are compliant with the law.
If a business isn’t able to prove to an officer they dispose of their waste correctly by having a commercial arrangement in place, they will be issued with a notice to produce their waste documentation within 10 days.
Failure to comply will result in a £300 fixed penalty notice, which if not paid, will result in prosecution.
What a business should not do
Businesses should have a commercial contract in place to ensure their waste is collected by licensed waste collectors and disposed of properly. Businesses must not:
- Take waste home and dispose of it with domestic waste
- Take it to the domestic/household waste facility (local tip) and dispose of it with household waste
- Allow an unauthorised person(s) to collect it and dispose of it without providing your business with a waste transfer note
- Burn the waste
Can the council take my business waste?
The Council operates a commercial waste disposal service. To enquire about the Council’s commercial waste collection service or for further information and advice please call 01246 231111.
Report a business
To report a business that is not disposing of its waste correctly, please email