“Small businesses really want to do the right thing but many are ultimately not complying with the law” suggests Sam Corp, Head of Regulation at the ESA.

A national survey carried out by the ‘right Waste, right Place’ campaign found that 48% of SMEs within agriculture, construction and retail do not know where their waste is taken once it leaves their site.

Many businesses are also unsure on how to correctly classify any waste they handle, separate their waste, or understand which waste types are relevant to them. These processes are all fundamental in meeting Duty of Care.

What is Duty of Care?

Duty of Care applies to any business that produces, transports, treats or disposes of waste due to its activities. Duty of Care starts from the moment you produce your waste until it has been properly disposed of. Businesses must satisfy themselves that they have handled their waste correctly, but also that the waste contractor engaged to remove it from the site is permitted to deal with it and that it will be disposed of properly. If the contractor does not dispose of the waste responsibly, it is the company who produced the waste that will be legally liable.

How can you meet your Duty of Care?

To meet your Duty of Care you must ensure that any waste produced is properly sorted and stored on sight. Waste must be sorted and stored correctly with dry recyclables, hygiene waste, electronic waste, and hazardous waste all being stored separately. Understanding what happens to your waste after it has been removed from your site is also crucial in meeting your Duty of Care. You must always use a registered waste contractor, like Cawleys, and ensure that they have treated or disposed of the waste responsibly.

How can Cawleys help?

With 70 years of award-winning experience in the waste management industry Cawleys can provide the peace of mind you need in knowing you are meeting Duty of Care.

Cawleys provides information on how to store your waste correctly, the right equipment for waste transport, treatment and disposal, and any legally required paperwork such as Waste Transfer Notes. We can therefore ensure that you are confidently meeting, or even exceeding, legal requirements for waste management and disposal.

As a registered waste management company Cawleys has a responsibility to ensure that we deal with all waste collected in a proper and responsible manner. As anyone who transports and disposes of waste must hold a waste carrier’s license, we will supply copies of our waste carrier’s and site licenses on request giving you peace of mind that we are dealing with your waste properly.

If you would like more advice on how Cawleys can help you meet your Duty of Care obligations please call us on 0845 260 2000 or email sales@cawleys.co.uk.