Waste Collection South Kensington Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Collection South Kensington collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to our waste collection and associated services. It applies to all Waste Collection South Kensington customers and service users located in South Kensington and the surrounding area, including residential, commercial, and institutional clients.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent, fair, and lawful manner, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and all applicable data protection laws.

Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is Waste Collection South Kensington. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with data protection law.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the details provided on our main customer communication channels.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data collected and processed by Waste Collection South Kensington about current, former, and prospective customers and users of our services within South Kensington and the surrounding area. It covers data gathered through telephone, email, online enquiries, written correspondence, and in-person interactions related to our waste collection, recycling, and related services.

Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you, depending on how you interact with us and which services you use:

Identification and contact data: name, title, address, property type, email address, telephone numbers and, where relevant, contact details of authorised representatives.

Account and service data: customer account reference numbers, service history, details of waste collection and recycling services requested or provided, service preferences, and correspondence or notes relating to your account.

Billing and payment data: billing address, payment method details as required for processing payments, payment history, invoices, and records of any refunds or credits.

Technical and communication data: records of communications with you such as emails, call notes, and messages, as well as information you voluntarily provide when contacting us for enquiries, feedback, or complaints.

Operational data: information required to carry out on-site collections, such as access instructions, collection schedules, and any relevant health and safety information connected to the service location.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us to request a quotation, set up or manage an account, make a payment, communicate with us about our services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with waste collection in South Kensington.

We may also receive data from third parties involved in the provision of our services, such as payment processors, subcontractors engaged to deliver waste collection or recycling services, or landlords and managing agents who arrange services on behalf of occupants.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the circumstance, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract: We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you for waste collection and related services. This includes managing your service, communicating with you about collections, and handling billing and payments.

Legal obligation: We process personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, tax and waste management regulations, and responding to requests from competent authorities.

Legitimate interests: We process certain data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of a third party, provided that your rights and interests do not override those interests. Our legitimate interests include improving and managing our services, maintaining accurate records, preventing fraud or misuse of services, and ensuring the safety and efficiency of our operations.

Consent: In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where we wish to send you specific types of optional service-related information that are not necessary for the performance of our contract. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To create and manage your customer account and provide you with waste collection and related services.

To schedule, perform, monitor, and record waste collections and recycling services at your premises.

To communicate with you about service arrangements, changes, queries, complaints, or feedback.

To prepare and issue invoices, process payments, and manage any outstanding sums or refunds.

To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including record keeping and reporting requirements.

To maintain the security, safety, and quality of our services and to prevent misuse, fraud, or unauthorised access.

To improve and develop our operations, including analysing service usage and customer interactions in an aggregated or anonymised form wherever reasonable.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy:

Service providers and processors: These include companies that provide payment processing, billing and accounting services, information technology and hosting services, customer support systems, and operational contractors who assist with waste collection and recycling. These third parties act as data processors and only process your personal data on our instructions, subject to appropriate confidentiality and security measures.

Professional advisers: Such as auditors, lawyers, and consultants who assist us in complying with our legal and regulatory obligations and in managing our business.

Authorities and regulators: We may share data with law enforcement, regulatory bodies, or other authorities when required by law, regulation, or court order, or to protect our legal rights or the safety of others.

Where data is shared with processors, we put in place written agreements requiring them to protect your data in accordance with data protection law and to use it only for the purposes we specify.

International Data Transfers

Where we engage service providers located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, or where data may be accessed from such locations, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include the use of legally approved data transfer mechanisms and contractual protections designed to ensure your personal data remains protected to standards equivalent to those in the UK.

Data Retention

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

In general, we retain customer account and service information for the duration of your relationship with us and for a period after the end of the relationship as required by law, such as for tax and financial record-keeping. The precise retention period will depend on the type of data, the purpose for which it is used, and any specific legal requirements that apply.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it.

Your Data Protection Rights

Subject to applicable law, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you:

Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of the data we hold, along with certain information about how we use it.

Right to rectification: You can request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data be corrected or updated.

Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data. This right is not absolute and may be limited where we have legal obligations or overriding legitimate grounds to retain data.

Right to restriction: You can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we verify the accuracy of data you contest.

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 transmit it to another controller, where technically feasible.

Right to object: You can object to processing of your personal data based on our legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms or we need the data for legal claims.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your rights have been infringed.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include access controls, staff training, secure storage, and appropriate safeguards when engaging third-party service providers.

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. When we make significant changes, we will take reasonable steps to inform you through our usual communication channels. The most current version of this Privacy Policy will apply to the personal data we hold about you.