Duty of Care for businesses

You have legal responsibilities if you:

• produce
• import
• carry
• keep
• treat or
• dispose of waste.

This is known as your duty of care.

Rules you must follow

• Minimise your waste. Do everything you can to prevent, reuse, recycle or recover waste, rather than dispose of it. This is known as applying the waste hierarchy.
• Make sure the waste is sorted and stored safely and securely.
• Check that the person you are transferring the waste to is authorised to accept it. They should be a registered waste carrier or must have the correct permit or exemption in place.
• When you transfer waste to a registered waste carrier, ask where they are taking the waste. Ensure it is to a properly authorised facility by finding details of permitted waste sites.

For more information, please visit Natural Resources Wales.