Business Waste Collection Service

Duty of Care for your Business Waste

All business owners have a legal responsibility to ensure the waste their business generates is stored, transported, recycled, or disposed of in a way that does not harm the environment – this is called their Duty of Care.

Waste Regulations

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 34) sets out the legal requirements for businesses in respect of waste and states that all businesses store, transfer, transport and dispose of their business waste without harming the environment.

Business owners must:

  • segregate, store and transport their waste appropriately and securely, making sure that they do not cause any pollution or harm to human health
  • check that their waste is transported and handled by people or businesses that are authorised to do so
  • complete waste transfer notes, including a full, accurate description of the waste, to document all waste they transfer, and keep them as a record for at least two years.
  • take reasonable steps to separate paper, cans, cardboard, glass and plastic for recycling

If a waste carrier takes their waste away, business owners need to check that they are authorised to accept it.

Non-Domestic Rates do not cover the costs of refuse or recycling collections from business premises - only properties which appear on the Council Tax Register are automatically entitled to collections from us.

We have a duty to ensure that businesses comply with their Duty of Care to ensure their waste is disposed of in a responsible manner and in compliance with government legislation. This ensures the costs for disposal of waste from businesses are borne by the waste producer and not the tax payer. 

Businesses are not permitted to dispose of their waste into domestic bins, litter bins or at Household Waste Recycling Centres. 

Useful information

Frequently Asked Questions

Duty of Care- A Code of Practice

Environmental guidance for different business sectors

Zero Waste Scotland Waste Regulations

Highland Council Business Waste Leaflet

Guidance for Self Catering Businesses