Waste Collection Kingston upon Thames Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Collection Kingston upon Thames collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our waste collection and related services. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Waste Collection Kingston upon Thames customers located in Kingston upon Thames and the surrounding area, including individuals, residential households, landlords, tenants, businesses, public bodies and any other organisations that use our services.

Who we are and how to contact us

Waste Collection Kingston upon Thames is the controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed when we provide our services.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, or if you want to exercise your data protection rights, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our main service information and customer correspondence.

Personal data we collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The main categories of data we collect are:

Contact and identity information, such as your name, title, postal address, service address, billing address, telephone number and email address.

Service and account information, such as details of waste collection services you request, type and size of bins, collection schedules, records of deliveries and collections, access instructions, site notes, and customer reference numbers.

Payment and billing information, such as bank details provided for payment, payment card details processed via secure payment providers, payment history, invoices, credits, outstanding balances and related financial records.

Communication records, such as emails, letters, phone call notes, messages and any complaints or feedback you provide to us, along with our responses.

Usage and technical information, such as information about how you use our website or online booking tools, including log data, basic device information and settings. Where we use cookies or similar technologies, we will explain this in a separate cookies information section on our website or customer materials.

Operational and incident information, such as records of missed collections, contamination notices, access or safety issues, and evidence collected in relation to potential misuse of the service or unlawful activity that affects our operations.

How we collect personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us to request a quote, set up an account, make a booking, pay an invoice, make a complaint, or otherwise communicate with us.

We may also receive personal data from third parties, such as commercial partners who refer you to us, local authorities where services are coordinated, property managers, landlords, letting agents, or other individuals or organisations authorised to act on your behalf.

In some cases, we generate personal data ourselves through providing the service, for example by recording collection history, service changes, incidents or payment status.

Lawful basis for processing your data

We rely on several lawful bases to process your personal data, as required by data protection law:

Contract. We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into and perform a contract with you, for example to set up and manage your account, provide waste collection services, arrange access to your premises, handle changes to your service, and manage billing and payments.

Legal obligation. We may process your data where we are required to do so by law, for example to comply with tax, accounting, environmental or health and safety regulations, or to respond to requests from law enforcement or regulatory bodies where we are legally obliged to respond.

Legitimate interests. We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes managing and improving our services, preventing fraud and misuse, recovering debts, handling customer queries, and maintaining accurate records of our operations.

Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain direct marketing communications that are not covered by our legitimate interests. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time using the contact details provided to you.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage waste collection and related services, including taking bookings, arranging collections, delivering containers, and managing access to your premises.

To manage customer relationships, including setting up and administering accounts, responding to enquiries, handling complaints and service issues, and communicating with you about your service.

To manage billing and payments, including issuing invoices, processing payments, managing debt recovery where necessary, and keeping appropriate financial records.

To improve and develop our services, for example by reviewing service performance, analysing feedback, monitoring service usage and identifying ways to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

To protect our operations and comply with the law, including preventing fraud, resolving disputes, managing incidents, enforcing our contractual terms, and meeting legal and regulatory requirements.

To send you information about services that may be relevant to you, where permitted by law and subject to your communication preferences. You can object to or opt out of marketing communications at any time.

Data sharing and processors

We sometimes share your personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services. Where these third parties process data on our behalf, they act as processors and must follow our instructions and comply with data protection law.

The main types of processors and recipients we may share your data with include:

Service delivery partners, such as subcontracted waste collection providers, transport and logistics companies, and container suppliers who need your address and relevant service details to carry out collections or deliveries.

IT and systems providers, including companies that host our website, booking systems, customer relationship management tools, communication platforms and data storage systems.

Payment and billing providers, such as payment processors, banks and accounting service providers who support invoicing and payment processing.

Professional advisers, including legal, financial and compliance advisers, where this is necessary to obtain professional advice, manage disputes, or comply with legal obligations.

Public authorities and regulators, including local authorities, environmental regulators, law enforcement or courts where we are required to share data by law or where it is necessary to protect our rights, the rights of others, or the environment.

We require all processors and relevant third parties to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data and to process it lawfully and securely.

International transfers

Our core services are based in the United Kingdom. If any of our service providers transfer your personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as using standard contractual clauses or ensuring that the destination country has an adequate level of data protection as recognised by applicable law.

Data retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we will keep customer account and service records for as long as you remain a customer and for a period after your account is closed, in line with statutory limitation periods and applicable regulations. Payment and invoice records are typically kept for at least the period required by tax and accounting laws.

When we no longer need your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply in most situations, although there are some exceptions. Your rights include the following:

Right of access. You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, along with information about how we use it.

Right to rectification. You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you have the right to 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 of processing. You may have the right to ask us to restrict the use of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we consider a correction request.

Right to data portability. Where our processing is based on your consent or on a contract and is 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 where technically feasible.

Right to object. You have the right to object to certain types of processing, including processing based on our legitimate interests and processing for direct marketing purposes.

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

To exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the contact details provided on our main customer information. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection authority if you are concerned about how we handle your personal data. You are encouraged to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any concerns directly.

Security of your personal data

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, staff training, secure storage and handling practices, and regular review of our procedures.

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 guidance. Any changes will take effect when the updated policy is made available through our usual customer communication channels. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we process your personal data.