Commercial (trade) waste
How to responsibly dispose of business and commercial waste or register as a collector.
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What is business and commercial (trade) waste?
Business and commercial (trade) waste includes waste that comes from:
- any commercial activity – including any you run from your home
- construction
- demolition
- industry
- agriculture
Waste is also deemed commercial from:
- a 'man with a van'
- house removal or clearance companies
- landlords bringing tenanted waste
- other commercial collection operations offering transportation of rubbish and goods for a fee
You cannot take this waste to our household waste recycling centres (except Redbridge HWRC, where there is a trade area).
Duty of care
All businesses have a legal duty of care to dispose of their waste (themselves or a licensed waste carrier):
- safely
- appropriately
- legally
Good waste management can save money and help you with your duty of care.
You face prosecution if your business deposits its waste as household waste through:
- household kerbside waste collections
- household waste recycling centres
How to dispose of your trade waste
- privately owned waste sites (a web search is your best option)
- district council collection (three Oxfordshire district councils can collect trade waste)
- private collection company
However you choose to dispose of your trade waste, ensure you package it well to avoid it escaping in transit or storage.
Commercial waste agreement
Arrange a business and commercial waste agreement with one of these:
- your waste district council
- authorised waste management company
- individual tradesperson
Check credentials
Make all reasonable checks on the credentials of the next holder of your waste. For example, phone the proposed disposal site to check if they are authorised to accept your waste. If you have any doubts, check that your waste did go there.
Paperwork
Provide the next holder with:
- a complete, clear written description of the waste, detailing any unusual characteristics that could affect how they plan to handle or dispose of it
- its waste catalogue number
Keep all paperwork for at least two years.
What you must not do
- do not give your waste to a 'man with a van'. They may not be a registered waste carrier, and you don't know what they will do with your waste
- do not use recycling banks or sites for your business and commercial waste - this is a criminal offence
- do not put your business waste out with your household waste (unless it is part of your waste agreement)
Do not assume the law doesn't apply to your business because it is too small—it applies to all businesses.
Waste transfer notes
You should record all waste transfers between your business and another business with a waste transfer note. The note will contain:
- a description of the waste
- names and addresses of both businesses
- the registration number of the waste carrier
If someone offers to take your waste but does not provide a waste transfer note, they are likely to fly-tip it. Local authorities will prosecute the fly-tipper and the waste producer for failing in their duty of care.
Trade waste collection
District council collections
Some Oxfordshire district councils collect business waste and recycling for a charge. Check your district council for more information:
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse do not offer commercial waste collections.
Private company collections
You can also pay to have it collected by a private company.
Many private companies offer waste and recycling collections; a web search will find a range of providers in your area.
It is your responsibility to ensure they are registered and they provide you with a waste transfer note.
Trade waste at Redbridge waste and recycling centre
Redbridge has a trade area where you can bring commercial and trade waste.
We are investigating the feasibility of providing services for small quantities of trade waste at other sites in the future. Meanwhile, please continue to use your authorised trade waste disposal routes.
Waste carriers' licence
Businesses contracted to carry somebody else's waste must hold a valid Waste Carriers' Licence.
You need to register if you transport any kind of waste regularly as part of your business or some types of waste as a one-off.
You must also register if you buy, sell or dispose of waste - or arrange for someone else to do so.
Please visit the GOV.UK website for more information or to register.
Food waste
Food waste is generated at various stages across a commercial kitchen's operation, either as spoilage, preparation, or customer plate waste. It is important to segregate food waste from other packaging or non-compostable waste at the source. A range of bins and bags are available for this.
There are several ways to manage the waste you produce in a busy kitchen. It is essential to determine where and how you generate food waste. The Unilever Food Solutions industry-designed toolkit can help you do this.
Reducing, reusing and recycling
Managing your waste and recycling is part of being resource-efficient. The charity WRAP has produced the Business Resource Efficiency Hub. The hub provides interactive tools to assess your business type and advise on resource efficiency measures suitable for your situation.
Recycling resources
- RePaint - collects unwanted, surplus paint and re-distributes it to individuals, families and communities in need
- Orinoco - collects suitable waste materials from businesses and offers them to the public to create innovative playthings and art supplies
- the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) allows businesses to explore cross-industry resource efficiencies
- the Centre for Remanufacture and Reuse (CRR) is a resource for anyone interested in the reuse and remanufacture of products