As a householder you are responsible for what happens to your waste, even if it has left your premises. There are various methods for disposing of your waste;
Do
- keep waste to a minimum by doing everything you reasonably can to prevent, reuse, recycle or recover waste (in that order)
- Put it in the correct bin,
- Take it to a Recycling Centre
- Use the councils bulky waste collection service for larger items
- Donate unwanted household items to charity
Don't
- Leave it outside of your house for scrap metal collectors - this is illegal and classed as flytipping
- Leave it on the street or by a litter bin - this is classed as flytipping
- Leave it on the floor of a bin store area (rubbish collectors don't take this away) - this is classed as flytipping
Please watch our video 6 things a lot of people don't know about flytipping
Household Duty of Care
Alternatively, you may decide to employ an individual or a company to take your waste away from your property. Always remember that you have what the legislation calls a 'duty of care'. Duty of care means that you must take reasonable steps to ensure that people removing waste from your premises are authorised to do so.
These reasonable steps are:
1. Check their waste carrier licence
If you transfer your waste using a waste removal company, you should take reasonable steps to ensure that they are a registered waste carrier. You should always ask for their waste carrier licence number and check whether it is a valid one by contacting the the Environment Agency on 08708 506 506. Please check if the removal company has a relevant waste carriers licence.
2. Obtain a waste transfer note
Please refer to the governments advice for disposal of business waste
Remember - your waste is your responsibility.
