Privacy Policy For Waste Collection Richmond upon Thames Customers

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Collection Richmond upon Thames collects, uses, stores and shares personal data relating to our customers and service users within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is intended to meet the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data protection laws.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Waste Collection Richmond upon Thames customers in our service area, including residential, commercial and other organisational customers who engage us to provide waste collection or related services.

Who We Are And How To Contact Us

Waste Collection Richmond upon Thames is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal information in relation to our waste collection and associated services.

You can contact us about this Privacy Policy or any aspect of our data protection practices by writing to our customer service team using the contact details provided on our standard correspondence and service documentation.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and which services you use. This may include:

Identification and contact details such as name, title, address, email address, telephone number and, where relevant, details of the person responsible for managing the service on behalf of a business or organisation.

Service and account information such as service address, type and frequency of collection, bin or container allocation, unique customer or account numbers, records of payments, billing history and account status.

Financial information such as invoice details, payment references and payment methods used for our services. We do not generally store full card details, but we may retain transaction references and related records for accounting and audit purposes.

Communication records such as enquiries, complaints, feedback, emails, call notes and any other correspondence you have with us concerning our services.

Operational data such as collection schedules, records of service delivery, missed collections, contamination notices, photographs taken by our crews or inspectors where necessary to evidence service issues, and information about equipment provided to you.

Technical data where you use our online tools or digital services, which may include your internet protocol address, device details, approximate location data and details of how you use our website or digital forms.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you request or use our services, when you contact us by phone, email or through forms, when you sign up for an account, or when you provide feedback or make a complaint.

We may also obtain personal data from third parties where this is necessary for the provision of waste collection services, such as from local authorities or managing agents who arrange services on behalf of residents, businesses or property owners, and from payment providers that process your payments to us.

Purposes And Lawful Bases For Processing

We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. The main purposes and lawful bases are as follows.

To provide and manage our waste collection services. We use your identification, contact, service and account information to set up, deliver and administer your collections, respond to service requests, schedule collections, and manage equipment. The lawful basis for this processing is the performance of a contract or taking steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

To manage billing, payments and accounts. We process financial and account information in order to issue invoices, receive payments, manage overdue accounts and keep financial records. The lawful basis is the performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in managing our business operations and complying with financial record keeping requirements.

To communicate with you about your service. We use your contact details and service information to notify you of changes to collection schedules, service disruptions, service improvements, and other essential information. The lawful basis is the performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in ensuring the effective delivery of services and customer satisfaction.

To handle enquiries, feedback and complaints. We process communication records and relevant service details to investigate and respond to questions, incidents or complaints. The lawful basis is our legitimate interests in managing our services, improving performance and resolving issues.

To comply with legal obligations. We may process your data to comply with legal and regulatory duties, such as health and safety requirements, waste management regulations, audit obligations, and requests from competent authorities when legally required. The lawful basis is compliance with a legal obligation.

To improve and develop our services. We may analyse operational and technical data to understand how our services are used, to improve efficiency, plan resources and enhance customer experience. Where possible this is done using aggregated or anonymised data. The lawful basis is our legitimate interests in developing and improving our services.

If we ever rely on your consent as a lawful basis, we will make this clear at the time of collection and you will have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

Data Sharing And Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share your information with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

Service providers acting as data processors may process personal data on our behalf to support our operations, including providers of information technology, hosting, billing, payment processing, customer service tools, and waste management logistics systems. These processors are only permitted to process your data in accordance with our instructions and are required to implement appropriate security measures.

Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers may access certain data where this is necessary for providing professional services to us, with appropriate confidentiality safeguards in place.

Public authorities or regulators may receive personal data where we are legally required to share it, or where disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of our customers, staff or the public.

Where data is transferred outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area by our processors, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses, in line with data protection law.

Data Retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of providing services, resolving disputes, responding to complaints, maintaining business and financial records, and meeting legal or regulatory requirements.

In general, customer account and service records will be retained for a period aligned with statutory limitation periods for claims and regulatory record keeping obligations. Financial and billing records are normally kept for at least the minimum period required under tax and accounting laws.

When personal data is no longer required, we will either delete it or irreversibly anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with you.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. These measures include access controls, staff training, secure storage and handling procedures, and the use of reputable service providers who implement appropriate security standards.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no system can be completely secure. You should also take care to protect your own information, for example by keeping any account details or reference numbers confidential.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you. These include:

The right of access to obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of that data, together with certain other information.

The right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete personal data concerning you.

The right to erasure, in certain circumstances, which allows you to request that we delete your personal data where there is no longer a lawful basis for us to retain or process it.

The right to restrict processing, in certain circumstances, which allows you to request that we limit the use of your data while a complaint or query is being resolved.

The right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or where processing is required for legal claims.

The right to data portability, in certain circumstances, which allows you to receive personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and to transmit that data to another controller where technically feasible.

Where we rely on consent as a lawful basis, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in our customer communications. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data.

Changes To This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply to all Waste Collection Richmond upon Thames customers in our service area from the date it is made available. You should review this Privacy Policy periodically to remain informed about how we use your personal data.