Waste duty of care

Anyone who is in business producing, transporting or disposing of waste has to comply with the legal "duty of care" with respect to waste

Anyone who is in business producing, transporting or disposing of waste has to comply with the legal "duty of care" with respect to waste.

Under the duty of care, waste must only be given to a person authorised to take it (a registered waste carrier), and special documents describing the waste ("waste transfer notes") must be made and exchanged and kept for at least two years.

Middlesbrough Council has the power to demand to see copies of waste transfer notes, and it is an offence to fail to produce them when asked. The maximum penalty in court is a £5,000 fine, but prosecution can be avoided by paying a fixed penalty of £300 (£180 if paid within 10 days).