Introduction

Business waste can come from:

• shops, offices, factories, restaurants or other business premises
• mobile businesses such as beauticians, window cleaners or gardeners
• tradesmen such as builders, plumbers, tilers and kitchen fitters
• charities and non-profit organisations.

Anyone who gets paid for their services is a business, even if they're a sole trader. If you are the owner of a business, of any size, you are legally responsible for the waste your business produces. You have a legal duty to:

• keep waste to a minimum by doing everything you can to prevent, reuse, recycle or recover waste
• sort and store waste safely and securely
• arrange a contract with the council to dispose of your waste or another registered waste carrier.

Business waste must not disposed of via household waste collections. If you run your business from your home any waste your create, as a result of your business, must be disposed of as business waste.

Business waste collections

Because business waste collections are not included it in your business rates, you have the freedom to choose how you dispose of your business waste. You can:

• use the council's competitive and professional commercial waste collection service. We offer tailor-made solutions for both general waste and recyclables. Find out more in our commercial waste section:
  East Riding commercial waste service

• contact an alternative local waste carrier but please ensure they are registered on the Environment Agency website
• take your business waste to a waste transfer station or other licensed waste site, but you must first register as a waste carrier on the GOV.UK website. You must not take your waste to any of our household waste recycling centres as we are not licensed to accept commercial waste.

Waste transfer notes

For each load of non-hazardous waste that is moved off your premises you need a waste transfer note or a document with the same information, such as an invoice.

Find out more about waste transfer notes on GOV.UK (external website)