Rubbish Collection Docklands Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Rubbish Collection Docklands collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to our customers. It applies to all individual and business customers who use our rubbish and waste collection services in the Docklands area, including any enquiries or interactions with us in connection with those services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent and lawful way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation GDPR and any other applicable data protection laws.

Who We Are

Rubbish Collection Docklands is the organisation responsible for providing waste and rubbish collection services in the Docklands area. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller in relation to the personal data described in this Privacy Policy, which means we decide how and why your personal information is used.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us and which services you use. This may include:

Contact and identity details, such as your name, job title, business name, postal address, service address, email address, and telephone numbers.

Service and account information, such as service plans, bin sizes, collection schedules, access instructions, notes relating to your location, and records of services provided.

Billing and payment details, such as billing address, payment method, partial payment card information if required for processing payments, invoices, and records of payments made. We do not store full card details when using secure payment processors.

Communication records, such as emails, telephone call notes, messages you send to us, complaints, queries, and any feedback or survey responses.

Technical data, such as IP addresses, device identifiers, basic log data generated when you visit our website or communicate with us electronically, and data needed to keep our systems secure.

Operational data, such as route and collection logs, time and date of collections, driver notes, photographs taken to evidence completion of a collection, contamination, or access issues where required for service delivery or safety.

How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, set up a service, contact us by phone or email, pay an invoice, or complete any form on our website. We may also receive personal data from third parties such as business partners referring you to us, payment service providers, or publicly available sources such as company registers when verifying business details.

Purposes and Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the GDPR. The main purposes and lawful bases are:

To provide and manage our rubbish collection services, including setting up your account, scheduling and completing collections, issuing invoices, and managing your service. The lawful basis for this is that processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or for taking steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

To communicate with you about your service, such as confirming bookings, notifying you of changes, responding to enquiries and complaints, and managing customer support. This is necessary for the performance of our contract with you and for our legitimate interests in running our business and maintaining good customer relations.

To process payments, manage billing, and prevent fraud or misuse of services. This is necessary for the performance of a contract and for our legitimate interests in protecting our business and ensuring we are paid for services provided.

To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including health and safety requirements, waste disposal regulations, record keeping duties, and responding to lawful requests from authorities. The lawful basis is compliance with legal obligations.

To improve and develop our services, conduct analysis of service usage, train staff, and maintain the safety and security of our systems and operations. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interests in improving our services, ensuring efficiency, and protecting our systems.

To send you marketing communications about our services where you have given consent or where we are permitted to do so based on our legitimate interests and you have not opted out. You may withdraw consent or opt out of marketing at any time.

Data Sharing and Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where this is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. These third parties act either as independent controllers or as data processors who process data on our behalf and only in accordance with our instructions.

Types of recipients may include:

Payment service providers who process card and bank payments securely.

IT and cloud service providers who host our systems, databases, and communication tools.

Operational partners such as subcontracted collection teams or logistics partners who assist in providing the collection service in your area.

Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, and legal advisers where necessary for business management and compliance.

Regulators, law enforcement bodies, or public authorities where required by law or to protect our rights, customers, or the public.

Where we use data processors, we put in place written agreements requiring them to protect your data, act only on our instructions, and implement appropriate security measures.

International Data Transfers

Where we use service providers located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for any international transfer of personal data. These safeguards may include the use of standard contractual clauses or other mechanisms recognised by data protection law.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law.

Customer account and service records are typically retained for a period after your contract ends so that we can respond to queries, manage any disputes, and comply with our legal obligations. Financial and invoicing records may be kept for a longer period to meet tax and accounting requirements.

Where personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it in line with our retention policies and applicable legal requirements.

Data Security

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 may include access controls, encryption where appropriate, secure storage, staff training, and regular review of our security procedures.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all Rubbish Collection Docklands customers in the Docklands area, subject to certain conditions and exemptions.

Right of access You have the right to request confirmation of whether we hold personal data about you and to obtain a copy of that data, together with information about how we use it.

Right to rectification You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure You may ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and there is no other lawful basis for processing.

Right to restriction You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we verify accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.

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

Right to object You have the right to object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, including for direct marketing. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds which override your interests, rights, and freedoms or where processing is necessary for legal claims.

Rights in relation to automated decision making If we use automated decision making that has legal effects or similarly significant effects on you, you have rights to request human intervention, to express your point of view, and to contest the decision.

You also have the right to withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent as our lawful basis for processing. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

How To Exercise Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have questions about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our website or your service documentation. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond without undue delay and within the time limits set by law.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us in the first instance so we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in the United Kingdom.

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 most recent version will always apply to our processing of your personal data. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.