Business waste

What counts as business waste

Any waste that comes from commercial activity is classed as business waste. This includes waste produced by:

• Industry and factories
• Construction and demolition
• Agriculture
• Shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels
• Office and business premises
• Schools and public buildings
• Tradespeople – e.g. plumber, builder, carpenter

If you use part of your home to run a business, then any waste from that part counts as business waste.

Even if your business only generates a small quantity of waste, or if it’s waste from a kitchen or bathroom at a business premises, it still counts as business waste.

Business waste can also be referred to as ‘commercial waste’ or ‘trade waste’.

Legal responsibilities of businesses for disposing of waste

Businesses are legally responsible for disposing of their waste correctly. They also have a duty of care to store, transport, buy, sell or dispose of waste safely. Breaching this duty is against the law.

Businesses must not use the Household Recycling Centre or household waste bins to dispose of business waste. It is illegal to do this.

We recommend you read the following information on the GOV.UK website about your duties and responsibilities:

• Managing your waste - an overview
• Disposing of business or commercial waste
• Disposing of hazardous waste
• Importing and exporting waste
• Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice (opens PDF)

How to dispose of business waste

Businesses can either:

• Register as a waste carrier to dispose of your own business waste
• Arrange regular waste collections from a registered waste carrier

Register as a waste carrier to dispose of your own business waste

You must register if your business does any of the following:

• Transports waste (a carrier)
• Buys, sells or disposes of waste (a dealer)
• Arranges for someone else to buy, sell or dispose of waste (a broker)

You can get an unlimited fine if you do not register.

Visit the GOV.UK website to register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer.

Arrange regular waste collections from a registered waste carrier

The Environment Agency holds the public register of licensed waste carriers, brokers and dealers. You can use the register to:

• Check if a business or tradesperson is registered
• Search for registered waste carriers in your local area

View the Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers on the Environment Agency website.

The most convenient way to dispose of your business waste is to arrange a commercial trade waste agreement, which incorporates a regular collection. A commercial trade waste agreement is a contract between the business and a registered waste carrier.

You should contact a waste management company directly to set up a collection service. We have put together a waste directory to help you find a suitable provider.

Please note that the council does not recommend any of these companies. This list is provided as a source of information only. You are responsible for checking out the companies and making sure they are registered.

If you do not have a commercial trade waste agreement, you should make immediate arrangements for the disposal of your waste. Documentation to prove this agreement should be kept for two years as it may be requested at any time.

The Environment Agency and Peterborough City Council delegated officers are authorised to check if you are complying with the Duty of Care. This means an officer can either write to you or visit your premises and ask to see your Waste Transfer Notes or Duty of Care Certificate. Failure to furnish these documents on request by an authorised officer may result in the issuing of a £300 Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution.

Why you can't dispose of business waste at the Household Recycling Centre

The Household Recycling Centre (HRC) is not licensed to accept business waste. It is provided only for the disposal of household waste.

The illegal deposition of business waste at the HRC increases our waste disposal costs, leaving Peterborough taxpayers to pick up the bill.

We don’t charge for waste collection in business rates. This is to give businesses the freedom to choose their preferred waste management company.

Collections from specific premises

Read Policy 23 of our Recycling and Waste Policy Guide to find out about collections from specific premises such as:

• Charity shops
• Charitable organisations
• Places of worship
• Village halls
• Community centres
• Residential nursing care homes
• Publicly funded schools
• Further education colleges
• Hospitals
• Prisons