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Businesses

Duty of Care
As a business, you have a duty to ensure that any waste you produce is handled safely and within the law. This is your 'Duty of Care'.

The following sections give useful starting points towards fulfilling the Duty of Care obligations.

 

What your business is required to do
The specific requirements are set out in The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991. This requires all businesses to

• dispose of waste using a licenced contractor
• ensure that business waste/recycling is NOT disposed of into the domestic waste stream

Licenced contractors
When organising waste collection you are advised to ensure that the contractor has the appropriate licence. You can search licenced contractors via the Environment Agency.

• Licenced contrator search/check Opens in a new window

Where to go for guidance
To find out about your legal obligations as a business and how to manage your waste, you can draw on the resources and expertise offered by;

• Surrey County Council Opens in a new window
• Waste Resources Action Programme Opens in a new window (WRAP)
• NetRegs - Find your nearest business waste site Opens in a new window
• NetRegs Opens in a new window

Between these organisations, a wealth of information is provided, including information on the following aspects

• Duty of Care Opens in a new window responsibilities
• Registered waste carriers Opens in a new window
• Finding a recycling service Opens in a new window
• Setting up recycling systems in the workplace Opens in a new window
• Promotional material Opens in a new window (such as downloadable posters)

Published material
The publication Waste Management, The Duty of Care, A Code of Practice (ISBN 0-11-753210-X) is available from Stationery Office bookshops or by phoning 0870 600 5522.