Why it’s important to dispose of business waste properly

This month, Hertfordshire police joined forces with the Environment Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to carry out spot checks on waste carriers. One of the seven vehicles inspected was illegally carrying waste and taken off the roads. This highlights the importance of using only approved waste disposal carriers, if not for environmental reasons, then certainly for business reasons.

Waste disposal is a huge issue these days, and illegal fly-tipping and dumping have become major problems, especially in the countryside. To try and tackle the issue, the Government has increased the fines for anyone caught fly-tipping, and householders who do not ask a licensed waste carrier to dispose of their waste properly will be fined up to £400.

Businesses caught illegally disposing of their waste can expect far greater fines. Mark Nevitt from Hertfordshire’s Environment Agency said: “The Environment Agency wants to make sure businesses carrying waste have the proper authorisations to allow them to transport and transfer rubbish – a waste carrier’s registration from the Environment Agency and waste transfer note from the waste producer. We also want to make it very clear to the general public that everyone has a duty of care to ensure their waste is managed and disposed of correctly by the people they give it to. If you use illegal waste carriers to take your rubbish you risk being fined up to £5,000.”

Your company’s duty of care

To keep waste disposal costs as low as possible, efficient sorting and storage of your company’s waste is necessary. By efficiently separating waste products, you may even be able to make a small amount of money by selling materials for recycling. Our compactors and balers will enable you to reduce the volume of your waste, meaning fewer trips to landfill, which will save you money.

By ensuring your company is doing its best to dispose of waste legally and ethically, you can also include your waste policy in your Corporate Social Responsibility statement, potentially gaining business from like-minded companies or consumers.