Regulation and sustainability
Waste generated by someone else on your premises
A contractor comes to do a job and leaves waste. Who answers for it is not always whoever produced it.
A refurbishment in the warehouse, a machine swap, a maintenance visit leaving used oil or filters, rubble from a small job. Someone comes, works, and when they finish there is something to remove. The question rarely asked in time is whose waste that is.
The three situations that get confused
| How it was arranged | Who manages it | What to hold |
|---|---|---|
| Agreed the contractor takes it | They do, with their manager | The agreement in writing and their removal documents |
| It stays in your skip | You do | Like any waste of your own |
| Nobody discussed it | Decided once it is in the yard | The case to avoid |
| The waste is hazardous | It depends, and everything changes | Check before anyone comes in |
Important
The third row creates the real problem: **if it was not agreed, the waste stays where it lands, and whoever holds the premises usually answers for it**. Whoever came to work leaves, and what remains in your yard becomes yours for practical purposes. A phone call afterwards does not fix it: the quote does, by writing down who removes it and with what documentation. One line in the contract saves the entire conversation.
What to ask of whoever comes to work
- 1
That they state what waste they will produce
Before starting, not after: it changes who may remove it.
- 2
Who removes it and to which manager
And that the manager is authorised for that waste type.
- 3
The removal documents, in your file
Even if they manage it, the question will come to you.
- 4
And what happens to whatever is not taken that day
What stays «until next week» stays for months.
Watch out
One case is especially delicate and common: **hazardous waste arriving mixed in with general waste**. A tin of solvent in the rubble skip, oily rags among packaging offcuts. From that moment the whole skip changes category, and you answer for that skip. So say where each thing goes before they start, rather than trusting the visitor to know: at their own premises it may be crystal clear and at yours they know where nothing is.
If you are the ones working at someone else's site
Worth knowing
Who holds producer status for a waste, what duties come with it and how it is shared when a contractor is involved is determined by the applicable waste rules and by what was agreed. **Your adviser settles that before the work is signed**; here we explain why it is worth discussing beforehand.
›Is the contractor saying they will take it enough?
Have them say it in writing and pass you the removal documentation.
›What if unexpected waste turns up?
Stop and decide: improvising in the yard is expensive.
›Does this apply to small maintenance?
Yes, and that is where it is most forgotten: filters, oils, lamps, batteries.
A real case
The situation
A company replaces a machine and the installer leaves used oil and packaging in the yard.
What you do
- Agrees in writing who removes what before the work starts
What you get
The waste leaves with whoever produced it and its removal paperwork stays on file.
The situation
An outside company leaves waste and nobody records it.
What you do
- Records what was left, when and by whom
What you get
The waste has a known origin.
The situation
It is assumed whoever generated it takes it away.
What you do
- Agrees it in writing before the work
What you get
Responsibility is decided beforehand rather than after.
The situation
The waste sits for weeks and nobody claims it.
What you do
- Flags what has sat too long
What you get
The case is faced at one month rather than one year.
The situation
It is removed mixed with your own.
What you do
- Records the origin before combining
What you get
The history stays true.
The situation
Nobody knows which companies left waste this year.
What you do
- Checks the register by supplier
What you get
The question is answered with a figure.
This article answers
- waste from works at my company
- the installer takes the waste away
- who is the waste producer
- contractor waste responsibility