Commercial Waste and Recycling

Commercial premises including shops, offices and industry, are required to make their own arrangements for waste collection, since the service is not included in the Business Rate.

The Council does not offer this service. Properties requiring a commercial waste collection should make arrangements with a suitable licensed contractor to undertake collections, at their own expense.

The law requires that occupiers of commercial premises make proper arrangements for the safe storage and disposal of their waste (Environmental Protection Act 1990).

It also places a "duty of care" on such persons to ensure their waste is disposed of in a proper manner, and it is important therefore to employ only properly licensed bona fide contractors for such work.

Any business whose waste is found to be dumped, or disposed of illegally, faces the risk of prosecution by the Council and the Environment Agency (maximum fine £20,000) even though they may not have dumped the waste themselves - see Fly Tipping.