Waste Collection Ealing Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Collection Ealing collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our waste collection and related services. It applies to all Waste Collection Ealing customers and service users within the Ealing area, including residential, commercial and public sector customers, as well as individuals who contact us about our services.

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy should be read together with any terms and conditions that apply to the services you receive from us.

Who we are and how to contact us

Waste Collection Ealing is the controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is used. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the details provided on our main customer service documentation or by contacting our customer service team in Ealing.

What personal data we collect

The type of personal data we collect depends on how you use our services. We aim to collect only the information that is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. The personal data we may collect includes:

Identification and contact details, such as your name, address, email address, telephone number and, where relevant, your job title and organisation name.

Service and account information, such as customer account numbers, service preferences, waste collection requirements, access instructions for your property, records of collection schedules and service history.

Payment and billing information, such as billing address, payment method details provided to our payment processor, details of payments made and outstanding balances.

Communication records, including emails, letters, telephone call notes, online forms and messages you send us when you make enquiries, request services, give feedback or make complaints.

Technical data, such as IP address, device and browser information, and basic usage data when you access our online services, to help us maintain and secure our systems.

Location and operational data, such as the location of collections, the type and volume of waste collected and information necessary for route planning and service delivery.

How we collect personal data

We collect personal data in several ways, including:

Directly from you when you contact us by phone, email, online forms or in person to request a quote, set up or manage services, make a payment or submit a complaint or enquiry.

From your use of our services when we provide waste collection and related services at your address or premises, including details about the services we deliver to you.

From third parties, such as business partners who refer you to us, property managers or landlords who arrange services on your behalf, or payment service providers who process transactions you make.

From publicly available sources, such as public registers, to confirm the accuracy of the information you provide, where this is necessary for our business or legal obligations.

Lawful bases for processing your personal data

We only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection laws. Depending on the circumstances, the lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract. We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes setting up your account, scheduling and delivering waste collection services, processing payments and communicating with you about your services.

Legal obligation. We process personal data where it is necessary to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. This may include obligations relating to waste management, environmental regulations, public safety, financial record keeping, tax and accounting rules.

Legitimate interests. We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of a third party, and where your rights and interests do not override these. This includes managing and improving our services, handling customer queries, ensuring the security of our systems, preventing fraud and protecting our staff and the public.

Consent. In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you ask us to send certain types of marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To provide and manage waste collection services, including setting up your customer account, planning and carrying out waste collections, managing service changes and responding to service requests.

To process payments and manage billing, including issuing invoices, collecting payments, handling payment queries and keeping necessary financial records.

To communicate with you about your services, such as sending service confirmations, notices of changes to collection schedules, responses to your enquiries and information about service interruptions or important updates.

To manage customer relationships and support, including handling complaints, investigating incidents, monitoring service quality and maintaining accurate customer records.

To improve and develop our services and operations, including using aggregated and anonymised data for analysis, planning routes, optimising collections and improving customer experience.

To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, respond to lawful requests from public authorities and support the enforcement of environmental and public health regulations.

To protect our business, staff, customers and the public, including preventing and detecting fraud, misuse of services and threats to health and safety.

Data retention and storage

We keep personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. The length of time we retain your personal data depends on the type of information and the context in which it was collected.

Customer account and service records are typically retained for the duration of your relationship with us, and for a period afterwards to answer queries, resolve disputes and meet our legal and regulatory obligations.

Financial and transaction records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws and regulations.

Communication records and complaints may be kept for a period that allows us to manage our relationship with you, show how we handled issues and improve our services.

When personal data is no longer needed, we take steps to securely delete or anonymise it so that you can no longer be identified from it.

Data processors and third party sharing

We sometimes share personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors help us provide our services and support our operations. Examples include:

Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments.

IT and system support providers who host, develop and maintain our software and communication systems.

Customer service and communication providers who help manage enquiries and service notifications.

Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors or legal advisers where this is necessary for our business and to comply with legal obligations.

Where we use data processors, we ensure they only process personal data in accordance with our instructions, under a written contract and with appropriate security measures. They are not permitted to use your personal data for their own purposes.

We may also share personal data with other third parties where required by law, such as regulatory authorities, law enforcement bodies or public agencies, or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

International data transfers

If we transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure that it is protected in line with applicable data protection laws. This may include using standard contractual clauses or other approved safeguards. Where possible, we aim to keep data within the United Kingdom or within countries that have been recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection laws, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply in most circumstances, subject to certain limitations and exemptions. Your rights include:

The right of access. You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with 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 some cases, you can ask us to delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and there is no other lawful basis for processing.

The right to restrict processing. You can ask us to restrict the use of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.

The right to object. You can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, including profiling related to those interests. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue, or the processing is for legal claims.

The right to data portability. Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and to request that we transfer it to another controller.

The right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you can withdraw your consent at any time. This 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 data protection supervisory authority if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concerns.

Security of your personal data

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, staff training, secure storage and regular review of our security practices. While we take security seriously, no system can be completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

Applicability of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Waste Collection Ealing customers and service users in the Ealing area. By using our services or contacting us in connection with waste collection and related activities, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations or how we process personal data. Any changes will be effective from the date of publication. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.