Commercial waste - information and advice

What is the waste ‘duty of care’ for businesses?

As a business, you have a legal duty to make sure that any waste you produce is handled safely and within the law. This is your ‘duty of care’.

It applies to anybody, from business or industry who;

• produces waste
• imports waste
• transports waste
• stores waste
• treats waste
• disposes of waste.

Four rules to help you keep your duty of care

Make sure that:

• you keep your waste secure
• you check the person/organisation that takes your waste is authorised to carry waste
• your waste goes to a proper site
• you give the person/organisation a ‘waste transfer note’ - this documents and describes all the waste you are handing over.

If these rules are not followed, your waste could be being disposed of illegally and you could be held responsible and prosecuted.

Read more on the Duty of care regulations for businesses

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• Commercial waste - information and advice