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From Monday 29 January, the council’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Investigation Team will be increasing the number of compliance checks they carry out on businesses across the district. These checks were introduced in March 2022 to make sure trade waste is being correctly processed, and are part of the council’s work in tackling fly-tipping, reducing unsightly litter and making sure waste is disposed of properly.
Every business needs to make sure that its waste is stored, transported, treated, reprocessed and disposed of safely. Trade waste cannot be collected through the council’s household waste collection service, or at its recycling centres. Any businesses using a third party to handle their waste must make sure that they are authorised to do so.
As part of these compliance checks, businesses must show proof that they have commercial waste collections in place. Any business that cannot produce evidence on the day will be issued a notice giving them a further seven days to share this evidence with the ASB Investigation Team. If they fail to do this, they will then be issued a £300 fixed penalty notice.
Businesses should follow these five simple steps to make sure that waste is disposed of legally:
S – Suspect all waste carriers. Don't let them take your waste until they have proven themselves to be legitimate. A professional waste carrier should happily answer reasonable questions.
C – Check that a waste carrier is registered on the Environment Agency's website.
R – Refuse any unexpected offers to have your rubbish taken away.
A – Ask what will happen to your rubbish and seek evidence that it is going to be disposed of appropriately.
P – Paperwork must be obtained. A proper invoice, waste transfer note or receipt, including a description of the waste being removed and the waste carrier’s contact details, is required.
Councillor Annemieke Waite, executive member for climate, waste and sustainability, said: “This renewed push to make sure businesses are responsibly dealing with their waste will help us in our mission to make North Somerset a cleaner and greener place to be.
“We thank the majority of businesses who do follow proper procedures when it comes to dealing with waste. However, those that fail to follow the rules will be penalised.
“By ramping up the spot-checks we introduced nearly two years ago, we hope that businesses are once again reminded of the important regulations concerning trade waste, which have been in place for more than 30 years.”
Advice about trade waste is available on the council’s website: www.n-somerset.gov.uk/businesswaste