Rubbish Collection Bermondsey Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Rubbish Collection Bermondsey collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our rubbish collection and associated services. It applies to all Rubbish Collection Bermondsey customers within our Bermondsey service area, including residential, commercial and one-off collection customers.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and all other applicable data protection laws. This Privacy Policy describes what data we collect, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep your data, who we may share it with and the rights you have over your information.

Who we are and how to contact us

Rubbish Collection Bermondsey is the controller of your personal data when you use our services in the Bermondsey area. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal information.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our website or any service documentation.

Personal data we collect

We collect and process different types of personal information about our customers and, where relevant, their representatives or staff. The types of data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details: name, title, address, service address, email address, telephone number and other contact details you provide to us.

Service and contract details: information about the services you request or receive from us, such as collection frequency, type of waste, access instructions, service preferences, records of quotes, bookings and contracts.

Payment and billing details: billing address, partial payment card information when required to process payments, bank details for transfers, details of payments made, outstanding balances and related accounting records. We do not store full card details where this is handled securely by our payment processor.

Communication records: emails, messages, phone call notes, complaint records, feedback, and other correspondence between you and Rubbish Collection Bermondsey.

Technical and usage data: information about how you interact with our website or online booking tools, such as IP address, browser type, device information, dates and times of access and basic cookie data where applicable. We only use cookies that are necessary for the functioning of our website or those you have consented to.

Operational data: information our crew members or staff note in the course of providing services, such as access issues, photographs of waste collections for evidential or service-quality purposes where required.

How we obtain your personal data

Most of the personal data we process is provided directly by you when you:

Request a quote or make a booking for rubbish collection services.

Contact us by phone, email or through a contact form.

Enter into a contract with us for regular or one-off collections.

Make a payment or query an invoice.

Provide feedback, submit a complaint or participate in a survey.

We may also receive personal data indirectly from third parties, such as payment processors, business partners who refer you to us, or publicly available sources where needed to verify addresses or business details.

Lawful bases for processing your data

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

Contract: We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide rubbish collection services, manage bookings, issue invoices and handle related customer service.

Legal obligation: We process certain information to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as record keeping, tax, accounting and waste management regulations.

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. Examples include improving our services, managing business operations, preventing fraud, protecting our staff and property and responding to customer enquiries.

Consent: In some limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications that are not otherwise permitted. When 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 to:

Provide and manage rubbish collection and related services in Bermondsey.

Respond to your enquiries, quotes and booking requests.

Set up and manage your customer account and service schedule.

Process payments, manage billing, handle refunds and deal with debts or disputes.

Communicate with you about service updates, changes to schedules, operational issues and important information about your contract.

Improve our services, train staff, manage quality and analyse operational performance.

Meet our legal and regulatory obligations and assist public authorities where the law requires it.

Send you service-related or permitted marketing communications, which you can opt out of at any time.

Sharing your personal data and use of processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These processors only process your data according to our instructions and for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. They are bound by contracts that require them to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data.

Examples of processors we may use include:

Payment processors who handle card payments and online transactions.

IT and cloud service providers who host our systems, email and customer databases.

Customer management and scheduling software providers.

Accountants and administrative support services who assist with invoicing and financial records.

We may also share data with other controllers where necessary, such as with insurers, legal advisers, law enforcement or regulatory bodies, and only where there is a lawful basis to do so. We do not sell your personal data.

International data transfers

Where we use service providers located outside the United Kingdom, your personal data may be transferred to countries that have different data protection standards. When we do this, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as using countries that are recognised as providing an adequate level of protection or implementing standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities.

Data retention and storage

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, this means:

Customer and contract data is kept for the duration of your relationship with us and for a period afterward, typically up to six years, to comply with legal obligations and to resolve disputes.

Payment and invoicing records are retained for the periods required by tax and accounting laws.

Communication records and operational notes are kept for a period necessary to manage queries, complaints and service quality, usually up to three years unless a longer period is needed for legal reasons.

Website usage data and cookie information are retained in accordance with our cookie practices and technical requirements, usually for shorter periods.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymise it.

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, secure storage, encryption where appropriate, staff training and regular review of our security practices and policies.

Your data protection rights

If you are a customer of Rubbish Collection Bermondsey within our Bermondsey service area, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions in the law. These rights include:

Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how we use it.

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

Right to erasure: You can request that we delete your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it, subject to legal or contractual obligations.

Right to restrict processing: You can ask us to limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

Right to data portability: You can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format in certain situations.

Right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests and you can always object to direct marketing.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact details available on our website or service materials. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within one month, or within any extended period allowed by law for complex requests.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office or another relevant supervisory authority if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, although we encourage you to contact us first so we can address your concerns.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or how we process personal data. The updated version will be made available through our usual communication channels. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Rubbish Collection Bermondsey customers in our Bermondsey service area and is effective from the date it is published or last updated.