Summer 2017 CoMMERCIAL WASTE Commercial waste: do you know what you need? Every year, hundreds of people start commercial enterprises in the UK, without realising the extent of their day-to-day legal responsibilities setting up a business can be stressful, particularly in the current economic climate. When they are finally up and running, however, many owners remain unaware of some of the legal responsibilities they have to carry out on a daily basis. one of their main duties is in respect of waste, under section 34 of theenvironmental Protection act 1990, which is enforced by local authority officers. under this act, all businesses must have an appropriate waste-removal procedure in place. many owners mistakenly believe that, if their business only produces a small amount of waste, they do not have to have a procedure in place. this is not the case. furthermore, they believe their business rates cover a waste contract they do not. Many business owners believe their business rates cover a waste contract they do not they may be producing only a small amount of waste, and many times officers have found that employees take this away and dispose of it themselves. But transporting commercial waste requires a waste-carriers licence another condition of which owners are often unaware. a common option used by businesses is to have a contract with a wasteremoval company, which provides a bin that must remain locked when not in use, to prevent pest access. the bin must also be big enough to accommodate the waste produced by your business. firms that do not create significant amounts of rubbish can still apply for contracts with these companies, but instead of a large commercial bin they will be given disposable bags, which are collected for a lesser fee. transported rubbish should be recorded in Waste transfer notes (Wtn), and these must be given to business owners when waste is passed to somebody else. if a Wtn is not provided, the company removing the waste may be untrustworthy, and the rubbish could end up being disposed of illegally. Business owners must keep Wtns for two years, because they must give them to the local authority if required to do so. it is important that business owners are careful when removing waste but, unfortunately, too many are unaware of the procedures they can use and are facing the consequences. We can help businesses to thrive by educating and supporting owners about the legislation in place. Credit: Leanne orton Images: iStock.com / jcarillet for further information, contact your local council or see here for further information, please contact your local trading Standards Service