Waste Removal Ealing Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Removal Ealing collects, uses, stores and shares personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in the Ealing area. It is designed to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all individuals who enquire about, use, or have used our waste removal and related services within the Ealing area, whether residential or commercial customers.

By contacting us, making a booking, or using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Who we are and contact details

Waste Removal Ealing is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As data controller, we decide how and why your personal data is processed. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data protection rights, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our website or in your service correspondence.

What personal data we collect

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

Identification and contact details: name, address, email address, telephone number, and where relevant company name and job title.

Service and booking information: details of your enquiry, waste type and volume, collection address, access instructions, preferred dates and times, and any special service requirements.

Billing and payment details: billing address, payment status, and basic transaction information. We do not store full payment card numbers; secure payment processors handle card details on our behalf.

Communication records: records of telephone calls where noted, emails, messages and any feedback or complaints you submit.

Website and technical data: if you visit our website, we may collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time and date of visits, typically through cookies or similar technologies.

How we collect your data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by phone, email, contact form, or other communication channels; when you request a quote; when you make a booking; when you agree a contract for services; or when you provide feedback or submit a complaint.

We may also receive information from third parties where this is necessary for the performance of our services, such as commercial partners, online platforms through which you place a booking, or payment processors who confirm that a payment has been completed.

Lawful bases for processing your data

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the circumstances, our lawful bases are:

Performance of a contract: To take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract, and to perform our contract with you. This includes responding to enquiries, providing quotes, arranging and carrying out waste removal services, and issuing invoices and service confirmations.

Legitimate interests: To pursue our legitimate business interests in a way that does not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing and improving our services, handling customer service queries, maintaining business records, preventing fraud, and ensuring the security of our systems and operations.

Legal obligation: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements applicable to our waste management activities, accounting and taxation obligations, and any lawful requests from regulatory or law enforcement authorities.

Consent: In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of optional marketing communications where required by law. Where processing is based on consent, you may 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 our waste removal services in the Ealing area, including arranging collections, managing bookings, and communicating with you about your service.

To issue quotations, confirmations, invoices, and receipts, and to process payments.

To respond to queries, feedback, and complaints, and to provide customer support before, during, and after service delivery.

To manage our relationship with you, including sending you important information about changes to this Privacy Policy, our terms and conditions, or our services.

To improve our services, operations, and website by analysing how customers use our services and by reviewing customer feedback.

To comply with legal, regulatory, and tax obligations, and to cooperate with regulators or law enforcement where required.

To protect our business, staff, customers, and property by preventing fraud and misuse of our services.

Data sharing and processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf, or who act as separate data controllers with their own responsibilities.

Data processors: We may engage third party service providers to support our operations, including payment processors, IT and hosting providers, communication and email service providers, route planning and logistics systems, and professional advisers such as accountants. These processors are only permitted to use your personal data in accordance with our instructions and for the purpose of providing services to us. They are required to keep your data secure and to comply with data protection law.

Other recipients: We may share your data with external parties where necessary, such as waste disposal facilities and recycling centres that require certain details to accept waste under regulation, regulators or public authorities where required by law, law enforcement agencies where necessary to prevent or detect crime, and professional advisers, insurers, or legal representatives in connection with legal claims or business management.

Where we share data with organisations that are independent controllers, they are responsible for how they handle your personal data and will have their own privacy notices.

International data transfers

Our core operations and data storage are intended to take place within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. If we need to transfer personal data outside of these locations, we will ensure that suitable safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses, to protect your data in accordance with applicable data protection law.

Data retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or as required by law. The retention period depends on the nature of the data and the purpose for which it is used.

Customer and service records, including contact details, booking information, and invoices, are typically retained for up to six years after the end of the relevant financial year to comply with tax, accounting, and contract limitation requirements.

Enquiry-only records, where no contract is formed, may be kept for a shorter period where needed for business analysis or to respond to follow-up queries, after which they will be deleted or anonymised.

Technical data and website analytics information is retained in accordance with our internal policies and may be kept in an aggregated or anonymised form that no longer identifies you.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it in line with our data retention procedures.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all Waste Removal Ealing customers and prospective customers in the Ealing area, subject to certain legal limitations and exemptions.

Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we 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 legal basis for processing.

Right to restriction: You can ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain situations, such as while we are investigating a concern about its accuracy.

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

Right to object: You can object to certain types of processing, including processing based on our legitimate interests. We will stop processing unless we have overriding legitimate grounds or need to continue for legal reasons.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making: We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the contact details published on our website or in your service communications. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

Complaints and contact

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection authority, the Information Commissioner's Office.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any updated version will be made available through our usual communication channels, and the updated policy will apply from the date of publication.