Make waste your business

Feb 25 2010 by Kathryn Quayle, Chester Chronicle

Every business produces waste but what they do, or rather what they don’t do with it can cause big problems.

All businesses have a responsibility to make sure that their waste is stored securely and that it is disposed of in the correct way. They are required to have a contract with a licensed waste contractor who will remove their waste. It is the responsibility of the business to make sure that the waste they produce is not handled illegally.

On obtaining a contract, the business will receive a waste transfer note which they must keep for at least two years. This must be presented to the local authority on request, as proof that they are disposing of their waste legally.

Paul Blackburn, senior Streetscene awareness officer at Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “A Streetscene officer may visit any business within Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council and request a copy of their waste transfer note.

“ My job is to make sure that they are doing the right thing with their waste and that it is not being fly-tipped. If they cannot produce the waste transfer note, the business is given seven days to get a contractor to dispose of their waste legally. If they do not co-operate we issue a fixed penalty notice of £300.”

Waste from businesses can cause many problems. “Waste that is left out for collection during the day and night is not under the control of the business,” says Paul. “It can be ripped open, scattered or even set on fire. This not only creates a bad image of an area, but causes a risk to people, homes and other businesses.”

Since September last year Paul has issued four fixed penalty notices as a last resort. He said: “We try to work with businesses and help them, providing information about how they should be disposing of their waste. Fixed penalty notices are only issued when we are given no choice. We would rather help businesses to do the right thing, avoiding penalty's where possible.”

For advice on dealing with business waste, call Streetscene at Cheshire West and Chester Council on 0300 1237026.