Privacy Policy for Waste Removal Hounslow Services

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Removal Hounslow collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in our service area. It is intended to ensure compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy applies to all Waste Removal Hounslow customers and service users in our operating area.

Who We Are and Scope of This Policy

Waste Removal Hounslow provides household and commercial waste collection, clearance and related services. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to all individuals who use or enquire about our services within the Waste Removal Hounslow service area, including residential customers, commercial clients, landlords, managing agents and any person who contacts us regarding our services.

Types of Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identification and contact details, such as name, title, company name, postal address, property address, email address and telephone numbers.

Service and booking information, such as details of the waste removal service requested, collection dates and times, access instructions, notes about the property that are relevant to the service and records of communications relating to the booking.

Payment and transaction data, such as details of invoices, amounts paid, payment method used, and limited payment information necessary to confirm that payment has been made. We do not store full card details when card payments are processed via third party payment providers.

Technical and usage data, which may include information about how you contacted us, such as call records, email headers, or information provided by your device or browser when you use an online form.

Correspondence and enquiry data, such as information you provide when you contact us by phone, email, text message or any other communication channel, including complaints or feedback.

How We Collect Your Personal Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us to request a quote, make a booking, arrange a collection, pay for a service, or ask a question about our services. This may happen by telephone, email, online forms, text message or in person.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where this is necessary for us to provide our services, such as landlords, letting agents, managing agents or commercial partners who book services on your behalf and provide us with your contact or property details.

Lawful Basis for Processing Your Data

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under GDPR. Depending on the context, we may rely on the following legal bases:

Contract: We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide waste removal services, manage your booking, process your payment or communicate about your collection.

Legal obligation: We may process personal data to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including obligations relating to waste transfer records, tax, accounting or health and safety requirements.

Legitimate interests: We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This can include managing our relationship with you, improving our services, preventing fraud and handling queries or complaints.

Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have clearly agreed to receive certain types of marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw this at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage waste removal services, including taking bookings, planning collections, carrying out collections and confirming completion of services.

To communicate with you about your booking, including confirming appointments, managing changes, dealing with issues on the day and providing updates on our services.

To process payments, issue invoices, receipts and account statements and manage any refunds or queries relating to payments.

To manage customer relationships, handle questions, concerns and complaints, and gather feedback to improve our services.

To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including record keeping, tax and audit requirements and obligations specific to the waste management sector.

To protect our business and our customers, including the prevention and detection of fraud, misuse or unlawful activities.

Data Retention and Storage

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the legal requirements that apply.

In general, we keep records of services and associated invoices and contact details for a period required to meet our tax, accounting and regulatory obligations, which is typically up to six years from the end of the financial year in which the service took place. Enquiry data that does not lead to a service may be kept for a shorter period, usually no longer than two years.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it so it can no longer be linked to an identified individual.

Data Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These service providers are only allowed to process personal data in accordance with our instructions and for the purposes we specify. They are required to keep your data secure and to comply with data protection law.

Examples of processors and third parties we may use include payment processing providers, IT and hosting providers, communication and email services, and professional advisers such as accountants where necessary for our business operations.

Where a third party acts as an independent data controller, for example a bank processing a card payment, they will have their own responsibilities and obligations regarding your personal data.

We do not sell your personal data. We only share it where necessary to provide our services, to comply with the law, or to protect our legal rights.

International Data Transfers

Our core systems are intended to operate within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. If we use any service provider that processes personal data outside the UK or EEA, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. These measures include limiting access to personal data to those who have a business need to know, using secure systems and applying appropriate physical, electronic and managerial safeguards.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We have procedures in place to respond to suspected personal data breaches and, where legally required, we will notify you and any applicable regulator.

Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data under data protection law. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and legal exceptions, but in general they include:

Right of access: You can request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data.

Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data.

Right to restriction of processing: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in particular situations.

Right to data portability: In some cases, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, or that we transmit it to another controller.

Right to object: You can object to certain types of processing based on legitimate interests, and you always have the right to object to direct marketing.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing before consent was withdrawn.

How to Exercise Your Rights or Contact Us

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, or if you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal data, you can contact Waste Removal Hounslow using the contact details provided on our main service communications or by using the usual contact channels you use to reach us.

We will respond to your requests as required by law, normally within one month. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information or exercise other rights.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concerns directly.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply to all personal data held by Waste Removal Hounslow and will replace previous versions. You should review this Privacy Policy periodically to remain informed about how we protect your personal data.