Waste Collection Hounslow Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Collection Hounslow collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and service users. It applies to all Waste Collection Hounslow customers within our service area in and around Hounslow, including residential, commercial and other organisational customers who use or enquire about our waste collection and related services.

We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Policy sets out the types of personal data we process, the purposes for which we use it, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep it, the organisations we may share it with, and the rights you have in relation to your personal information.

Who We Are and How to Contact Us

Waste Collection Hounslow is the organisation responsible for determining how and why your personal data is processed in connection with our waste collection and associated services. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or about how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our standard customer communications or invoices, or by contacting our customer service team and asking to speak to the data protection contact.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different categories of personal data depending on your relationship with us and the services you use. The personal data we may collect includes:

Identification and contact details such as name, title, address, email address, telephone number and any other contact information you provide when you contact us, make an enquiry, or request services.

Customer account information such as service address, details of the type of property or business, bin or container allocation, service preferences, contract details, billing and payment information, direct debit details, charges, credits and account history.

Service and interaction records such as records of waste collection services provided, missed collections reported, service requests, bookings, complaints, feedback, correspondence, and call notes when you contact our customer service team.

Technical and usage data such as information generated when you visit our website or use any online service forms, including device information, approximate location data, and information on how you interact with our online pages where this is captured through standard logging technologies.

Regulatory and enforcement data such as information relating to suspected misuse of services, contamination of waste, non-compliance with waste regulations, or other issues that may lead to enforcement action or dispute resolution, which may include photographs or written reports.

In general we do not seek to collect special category data such as health information. If such information is provided by you in connection with a service request for example assisted collections we will process it only as necessary for that purpose and in line with applicable law.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by phone, email, post, through our website, or via any online forms, when you create or manage an account, or when you otherwise request, use or modify our services.

We may also receive personal data from other sources where this is lawful, including local authorities in our service area, property owners, managing agents, landlords, commercial partners, and payment service providers that process payments on our behalf.

Some personal data is generated automatically in the course of providing services, for example records of completed collections, service schedules, and notes of operational or service issues recorded by our staff or contractors.

Lawful Basis for Processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under data protection law to process your personal data:

Contractual necessity: We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to set up and manage your waste collection service, process payments and charges, communicate about your account, and respond to service requests.

Legal obligation: We process personal data where we are required to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including environmental, public health, financial and accounting requirements, and obligations to co operate with relevant public authorities.

Legitimate interests: We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests include managing and improving our waste collection services, handling enquiries and complaints, monitoring service performance, preventing misuse or fraud, and ensuring the safety and security of our staff, customers and assets.

Consent: In limited circumstances we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications that are not directly related to the services you receive. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting us.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To set up, operate and manage waste collection and related services, including scheduling collections, allocating bins or containers, monitoring collection performance and addressing any service issues.

To manage your customer account, including issuing bills and invoices, processing payments and refunds, maintaining up to date contact details and service preferences, and recovering unpaid charges where applicable.

To communicate with you about your service, including notifications of changes to collection times or service arrangements, responses to your enquiries or complaints, and updates on service interruptions or operational issues.

To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including record keeping and reporting obligations, responding to requests from public authorities, and assisting with investigations where legally required.

To improve, monitor and plan our services, including analysing service data to enhance efficiency, safety and environmental performance, and to inform future service developments.

To safeguard our operations, staff, customers and the public, including investigating and preventing suspected fraud, misuse of services or non compliance with waste regulations.

Data Sharing and Processors

We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where this is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and permitted by law. These third parties may act as data processors, processing personal data on our behalf, or as separate data controllers.

Data processors we may use include service delivery contractors who collect and transport waste on our behalf, information technology and system support providers, payment processing providers, document management and printing services, customer contact and call handling services, and professional advisers such as accountants or auditors.

Where we use data processors, we require them to process your personal data only in accordance with our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with data protection law. We put in place written contracts with these processors to ensure appropriate safeguards.

We may also share data with local authorities, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies or other public bodies where required by law or where necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of our customers, staff or the public. In some circumstances, for example in connection with multi occupancy buildings, we may share limited information with landlords, managing agents or property owners where needed to manage services and resolve service issues.

Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements, and to resolve disputes or enforce our rights.

In general, customer account and service records will be kept for the duration of your relationship with us and for a defined period afterwards, typically up to six years from the end of the financial year in which the account was closed, to comply with financial and contractual limitation periods.

Where data relates to queries, complaints or disputes, we may retain it for longer where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. Technical logs and routine operational records are usually kept for shorter periods, unless required for investigation or legal purposes.

When personal data is no longer required, we will take steps to securely delete or anonymise it.

International Transfers

Our core data processing activities are intended to take place within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. If it becomes necessary to transfer personal data to countries outside this area, for example where an external service provider uses servers or support teams located abroad, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with data protection law, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent approved measures.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, staff training, secure systems and regular review of our security arrangements. While we cannot guarantee absolute security, we aim to ensure that any personal data we hold is protected in line with industry standards and legal requirements.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions. They include:

The right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how we use it.

The right to rectification: You can ask us to correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

The right to erasure: In certain circumstances you can ask us to delete or remove your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no other lawful basis to continue processing it.

The right to restrict processing: You can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.

The right to object: You can object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as our lawful basis. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue or the processing is needed for legal claims.

The right to data portability: In limited circumstances you can ask us to provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, or to transfer it to another organisation where this is technically feasible.

Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concerns.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or how we process personal data. The most current version will apply to our handling of your personal data. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your privacy.