Commercial waste is rubbish from a premises used for a trade or a business. All businesses must make their own waste disposal arrangements as the council is not responsible for the removal of commercial waste.
Business that break the laws on commercial waste disposal face a fine of up to £5,000 or an unlimited amount if taken to Crown Court.
Report a business not storing or disposing of its waste correctly
Disposing of commercial waste
- you must use a legally authorised waste carrier to dispose of your commercial waste
- you must sign a Trade Waste agreement with the carrier. It is a legal requirement to keep a copy of all documentation for two years. Failure to do so could result in a £300 Fixed Penalty Notice and prosecution
- if your waste is discovered to have been disposed of illegally, even by your carrier, your company will face legal proceedings
Responsibilities of businesses
All businesses, no matter how small, have a duty to:
- responsibly store and organise their own commercial waste removal and recycling
- help the environment by reducing the amount of waste your business produces and increase levels of recycling
- make a written description of all transferred waste retain it for at least two years
Businesses should not:
- use household or public litter bins to dispose of their waste
- leave their rubbish in normal black bags for collection
- allow their rubbish to blow away
- pile up loose rubbish at the back of the premises
- dump their rubbish
- allow rubbish to build up on the premises frontage
- allow rubbish to cause pollution or harm to anyone
- 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 they are going to do with your waste
Business waste must be stored in containers that:
- can be locked
- are a suitable size and construction for the type and quantity of waste created
- are kept within the boundaries of the premises
Commercial waste recycling centre
It is illegal to deposit business waste at a household recycling centre. In Wirral you can take your business waste to the trade waste recycling centre in Bidston but you need to arrangement it beforehand.
Contact Veolia to find out more about Wirral's trade waste recycling service
Hazardous waste and spillages
Information on hazardous waste and commercial spillages.
Skips
Before hiring a skip you should check that the company has the appropriate waste carrier’s licence. This should be available on request.