Rubbish Collection Richmond upon Thames Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Rubbish Collection Richmond upon Thames collects, uses, stores and shares personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all individuals and businesses using, or enquiring about, our services within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and all other applicable data protection laws.

Who We Are

Rubbish Collection Richmond upon Thames provides waste and rubbish removal services to residential and commercial customers in the Richmond upon Thames area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy, as we decide how and why your personal information is processed.

Personal Data We Collect

The types of personal data we collect depend on how you interact with us and the services you use. We may collect and process the following categories of data:

Contact and identification details, such as your name, address, postcode, telephone number and email address.

Service and booking information, including service address, property access details you choose to provide, preferred dates and times, records of the type and volume of waste to be collected, and any special instructions.

Billing and payment information, such as invoicing details, payment status, and transaction records. Where payments are processed via card or electronic methods, card details are handled by our payment processor and are not retained by us beyond what is necessary for confirmation of payment.

Communication records, including emails, messages, call notes, and any feedback, complaints or enquiries you submit to us.

Marketing preferences, such as your choices regarding receiving information about our services, offers or updates.

Technical and usage data, which may include information about how you access and use our website or digital tools, such as your IP address, browser type, approximate location and device identifiers, to the extent this is necessary for site security, service provision and diagnostics.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by telephone, email, online forms or in person to request a quote, make a booking, or ask a question about our services.

We may collect data when you use our website or digital services, for example when completing an enquiry form, signing up to receive updates, or providing feedback.

We may also receive personal data about you from third parties where this is necessary to deliver our services, such as business partners arranging rubbish collection on your behalf, estate agents or property managers, or payment service providers confirming that your payment has been authorised.

Lawful Basis For Processing

We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under the UK GDPR. Depending on the situation, we may rely on one or more of the following legal bases:

Contract: We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide rubbish collection services, schedule bookings, issue invoices and manage your account.

Legal obligation: We may process your data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, health and safety or waste disposal regulations.

Legitimate interests: We may process personal data for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing and improving our services, responding to enquiries, preventing fraud, ensuring network and information security, and maintaining appropriate records of our operations.

Consent: In some cases, we may rely on your consent, for example to send you certain marketing communications by email or text, or to use optional cookies or similar technologies. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We may use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide rubbish collection and related services, including processing bookings, planning routes, attending your property, and completing collections.

To communicate with you about your enquiries, quotations, bookings, service updates and any changes to our terms or policies.

To issue invoices, process payments, manage refunds or disputes, and maintain accurate financial records.

To manage our relationship with you, including dealing with any feedback, compliments or complaints you submit.

To operate, maintain and improve our business operations, services and website, including troubleshooting, data analysis and service development.

To send you marketing communications about our services where permitted by law and in accordance with your preferences. You can opt out of marketing at any time.

To comply with legal requirements and cooperate with regulators or law enforcement when required.

Data Retention

We will not keep your personal data for longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and legal obligations.

Service and contract information, including your contact details and records of collections, are generally retained for up to six years after the end of our business relationship. This allows us to respond to any queries, resolve disputes, and comply with tax and accounting requirements.

Financial and transactional records are normally retained for at least six years to meet legal and regulatory obligations.

Marketing data, such as your contact details used for email updates, is kept until you unsubscribe or object to receiving such communications, or until we determine it is no longer necessary.

In some cases we may retain data for longer where required by law, where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, or to comply with regulatory requirements. When data is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.

Data Processors And Third Parties

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors are engaged to support the delivery of our services and are only permitted to process your data according to our instructions and in line with applicable data protection laws.

Examples of such processors and third parties include:

Payment service providers that process payments and protect against fraudulent transactions.

IT and cloud service providers that host our systems, store information, or support our communication tools.

Customer management and administration providers that assist with scheduling, messaging and record keeping.

Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary for legitimate business or legal reasons.

Where required by law, we may also share personal data with regulatory authorities, law enforcement bodies or public bodies. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

International Data Transfers

Where any of our service providers or systems transfer or store personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include using countries that have been recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection, or using standard contractual clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms approved for international data transfers.

Your Data Protection Rights

If you are a customer or individual in the area served by Rubbish Collection Richmond upon Thames, you have certain rights in relation to your personal data under the UK GDPR. These rights may be subject to limitations or conditions, but generally include the following:

Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and ask for a copy of the data we hold about you.

Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer necessary 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: You may ask us to restrict the processing of your data in certain situations, such as while we are verifying its accuracy or considering an objection you have raised.

Right to object: You have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including profiling. You can also object to your data being used for direct marketing at any time.

Right to data portability: Where processing is based on your consent or on a contract and carried out by automated means, you may request to receive your personal data in a commonly used, machine readable format and have it transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on consent for any processing, you can withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using our usual contact details. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request, and we will respond within the time limits set by data protection law.

Security Of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. These measures include restricting access to personal data to those who need it for legitimate business purposes and using secure systems and procedures for storing and transmitting information.

Changes To This Privacy Policy

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

How To Contact Us Or Complain

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us using our normal customer contact channels.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office if you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to resolve your concerns directly in the first instance.