Waste Removal Balham Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Removal Balham collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to our waste removal and associated services. It applies to all Waste Removal Balham customers and prospective customers in Balham and the surrounding area, as well as visitors who contact us to enquire about our services.

Scope and Identity of the Data Controller

The data controller is Waste Removal Balham. This means we decide how and why your personal data is used when you deal with us for waste removal, recycling, clearance services, and any related customer support. By using our services, contacting us, or providing your details, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.

Types of Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for delivering and managing our services. The types of personal data we may collect include:

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

Service and booking information: details about your waste removal request, service address, access information you provide for collections, preferred dates and times, and related instructions.

Payment details: transaction information, invoice details, billing address, and records of amounts paid and due. Card and bank details are handled securely via our payment processors and are not stored by us beyond what is necessary for processing your payment.

Communication records: information contained in emails, telephone calls, messages, and other communications with us, including customer service queries and complaints.

Technical and usage data: limited technical information generated when you visit our website or communicate with us electronically, such as device type, browser type, and general usage data. This is collected only to the extent necessary for security, service improvement, and managing our online presence.

Lawful Bases for Processing Personal Data

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and relevant data protection laws. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract: we process your data to enter into and perform a contract with you, such as arranging waste removal services, providing quotations, confirming bookings, and issuing invoices.

Legal obligation: we may process your data where necessary to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including record-keeping, tax requirements, and obligations linked to waste disposal regulations.

Legitimate interests: we may process your personal data for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services, managing customer relationships, ensuring site and system security, and defending legal claims. We ensure these interests are balanced against your rights and freedoms.

Consent: in limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications where required by law. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us using the details provided in this Privacy Policy.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide services: accepting and managing bookings, arranging collections, performing waste removal and related services, and managing on-site instructions.

To communicate with you: providing quotations and service confirmations, responding to enquiries, sending updates about bookings, and handling complaints or requests.

To process payments: issuing invoices, taking payments through our payment processors, managing refunds, and maintaining accounting records.

To manage our business: maintaining internal records, improving and monitoring service quality, training staff, and ensuring our operations run efficiently.

To comply with law: retaining certain information for required periods, responding to valid requests from regulatory authorities, and complying with health, safety, and waste disposal obligations.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, and in line with legal and regulatory requirements.

Customer and service records: we generally retain records relating to services you have used, including associated invoices and communications, for up to seven years from your last interaction with us, to meet accounting and legal obligations.

Enquiries without service: if you contact us for a quotation or general enquiry but do not proceed with a service, we may keep your details and related correspondence for up to two years to manage follow-up queries and our internal records.

Marketing data: where you have consented to receive marketing, we keep your contact details for this purpose until you opt out or withdraw consent, or until we determine that the information is no longer accurate or required.

At the end of the relevant retention period, personal data is securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be associated with you.

Sharing Personal Data and Use of Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with trusted third parties where necessary for the performance of our services or to comply with legal requirements.

Service providers and processors: we may use third-party companies to support our operations, such as payment processors, accountants, IT and hosting providers, and customer management or communication tools. These third parties act as processors on our behalf and are only permitted to use your data in accordance with our instructions and this Privacy Policy.

Waste and recycling partners: in some cases, and only where required, we may share limited information with licensed waste facilities or relevant partners to ensure compliant disposal and documentation.

Professional advisers: we may share data with professional advisers including lawyers, auditors, and insurers for the purposes of obtaining professional advice, managing risks, or handling legal claims.

Authorities and regulators: we may disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or governmental or regulatory request, or to protect our rights or the rights of others.

Where we use processors, we take steps to ensure appropriate contracts and safeguards are in place to protect your personal data.

International Transfers

Where we use service providers that store or process data outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure that your personal data remains protected. This may include using countries that have been recognised as providing an adequate level of protection or implementing appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.

Your Data Protection Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. These include:

Right of access: you have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how we process it.

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

Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to retain it.

Right to restriction: you can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we investigate a concern you have raised about its accuracy.

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

Right to object: you can object to processing based on our legitimate interests or to direct marketing at any time. When you object to direct marketing, we will stop processing your data for this purpose.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making: we do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact details in this Privacy Policy. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. We aim to respond within one month, or within any extended period permitted by law for complex requests.

Security of Your Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. Measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and regular review of our security practices. While we take reasonable steps to secure your data, no system can guarantee complete security.

Customers in Balham and Surrounding Area

This Privacy Policy applies to all Waste Removal Balham customers, prospective customers, and service users located in Balham and the surrounding area. By arranging a service or contacting us from within this area, your personal data will be processed in accordance with this policy and applicable data protection laws.

Updates 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 best practice. Any changes will take effect from the date of publication. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or about how Waste Removal Balham handles your personal data, or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, you can contact us using our standard customer contact details. Please explain clearly which rights you wish to exercise or what information you require.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been breached. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly first and will do our best to resolve any issues promptly and fairly.