Waste Collection Soho Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Waste Collection Soho collects, uses, discloses and protects personal data relating to our waste collection and related services. It applies to all Waste Collection Soho customers located in our Soho service area, including residential, commercial and institutional customers, as well as individuals who contact us with enquiries or interact with our services in any way.

Waste Collection Soho acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. We process your personal data in accordance with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation and all applicable data protection laws.

Personal data we collect

We collect and process only the personal data that is necessary to provide and manage our services. The types of personal data we may collect include the following:

Identification and contact details such as full name, business name where relevant, postal address, service address, billing address, email address and telephone numbers.

Service and contract information such as details of your waste collection arrangements, collection frequency, container types, access instructions, service preferences and records of any contracts or agreements between you and Waste Collection Soho.

Billing and payment information such as payment method, partial payment card details where needed to process transactions, invoice records, payment status and information required for accounting and tax purposes. We do not store full card numbers or security codes where payments are processed via a secure payment provider.

Communication records such as enquiries, complaints, feedback, emails, call notes, and any other correspondence you have with us, including the date, time and outcome of communications.

Technical and usage data such as basic information about how you use our website or digital services, including logs, device type, approximate location, and pages viewed, where this is collected through cookies or similar technologies and only where permitted by law.

Operational data such as collection route information, proof of collection records, photographs of bins or locations when required for service verification or health and safety reasons, and records of incidents that occur in the course of providing our services.

How we collect your personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, set up an account, sign a contract, book a collection, make a payment or contact us by phone, email or through our website. We may also collect personal data from publicly available sources or from your employer if you are the contact person for a business customer.

Where we work with partners or subcontractors who interact with you on our behalf, they may collect personal data and share it with us in order to deliver our services.

Lawful bases for processing

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

Performance of a contract. We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to set up your account, schedule and complete waste collections, issue invoices and manage customer service requests.

Compliance with legal obligations. We process personal data where it is required to meet our legal and regulatory obligations, including environmental regulations, health and safety requirements, tax and accounting rules and record keeping duties.

Legitimate interests. We may process personal 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 operations and routes, ensuring the security of our staff and vehicles, preventing fraud and misuse of services, and handling claims or disputes.

Consent. In limited situations we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of electronic marketing. Where we rely on consent you have the right to withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide, administer and manage waste collection and related services, including booking collections, planning routes, accessing properties and confirming that services have been delivered.

To create and maintain customer accounts, process payments, issue invoices, manage credit and carry out internal reporting and auditing.

To handle enquiries, complaints and service requests, and to communicate with you about your account, collections, service changes or disruptions.

To comply with applicable laws, respond to requests from public authorities, and manage health and safety, insurance and regulatory matters.

To improve our services, operations and customer experience, including through analysis of service performance and service usage patterns.

To send you service related messages that are necessary for the performance of your contract or that we are required to send by law.

Data retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet our legal, accounting or reporting obligations. The specific retention period will depend on the type of data and our legal requirements.

In general, account, contract and billing records are retained for the duration of your relationship with Waste Collection Soho and for a period afterwards in line with statutory limitation periods and tax and accounting rules. Communication records and operational data are kept for as long as necessary to manage services, address complaints and maintain accurate service histories.

When we no longer need personal data, we will securely delete or anonymise it so that you can no longer be identified.

Data processors and sharing

We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors only process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and are subject to contractual obligations to protect your data.

Examples of such processors include companies providing payment processing and merchant services, information technology and hosting services, customer relationship management platforms, communication and contact centre services, route planning and logistics tools, and professional advisers such as accountants or auditors where they access data to provide their services.

We may also share personal data with public authorities, regulators, law enforcement agencies, insurers or legal advisers where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not transfer your personal data outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area unless appropriate safeguards are in place in line with data protection law.

Security of your personal data

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

While we take reasonable steps to protect your personal data, no system is completely secure. You also have a role in keeping your data safe, for example by keeping any account credentials confidential.

Your data protection rights

Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

The right of access. You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, together with information about how we use it.

The right to rectification. You can request that we correct or complete personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.

The right to erasure. You can request that we delete your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected. This right may be limited where we need to retain data to comply with legal obligations or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

The right to restrict processing. You can request that we suspend the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as where you contest its accuracy or object to our use of it.

The right to object. You can object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as the lawful basis, and we will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds to continue.

The right to data portability. Where processing is based on your consent or on a contract and carried out by automated means, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and, where technically feasible, transfer it to another controller.

The right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

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. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can seek to resolve your concerns directly.

Applicability of this policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Waste Collection Soho customers and service users within our Soho service area, including individuals acting on behalf of business customers. By using our services or providing us with your personal data, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or services. Any changes will take effect when the updated version is made available. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.