Rubbish Collection Swiss Cottage Customer Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Rubbish Collection Swiss Cottage collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to our customers in the Swiss Cottage area. It also describes your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and other applicable data protection laws. This policy applies to all individual customers and business contacts who use our rubbish collection and related services within our service area.

Who We Are and Scope of This Policy

Rubbish Collection Swiss Cottage provides waste and rubbish collection services to residential and commercial customers in and around the Swiss Cottage area. For the personal data we process, we act as the data controller. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data we collect from customers, prospective customers, website visitors who contact us, and any individuals who communicate with us about our services in the Swiss Cottage area, whether by phone, email, online form, or in person.

Types of Personal Data We Collect

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

Identification and contact details, such as your name, address, email address, telephone number, and where relevant, business name and job title.

Service and booking information, such as details of your rubbish collection requirements, property access information, collection dates and times, service notes, and communications relating to your bookings.

Billing and payment data, such as invoicing details, payment status, and basic transaction records. We do not store full payment card details when using third party payment processors.

Communication records, such as emails, messages, and notes from telephone calls with our customer service team, including enquiries, requests, feedback, or complaints.

Technical and usage data, which may include IP address, device and browser information, and basic usage statistics when you visit our website or online booking tools, to the extent required to operate and secure our systems.

How We Collect Your Data

We usually collect personal data directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, make a booking, agree a service contract, or communicate with us in any other way. This may be via telephone, email, text message, online form, or in person.

We may receive some information from third parties where this is necessary to provide services, for example from landlords, letting agents, or business partners who arrange rubbish collection on your behalf. In such cases we treat your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We may also collect limited technical data automatically when you use our website or other online tools, through standard server logs and similar technologies, solely for security, maintenance, and performance purposes.

Lawful Basis for Processing Your Data

We only process your personal data where we have a valid legal basis under data protection law. Depending on the purpose, we will rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract. We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as when you book a collection, request a quote, or manage an ongoing rubbish collection arrangement.

Legal obligation. We may process data where required to comply with our legal obligations, including accounting, tax, waste disposal regulations, and record-keeping duties.

Legitimate interests. We process personal data for our legitimate business interests, such as managing our operations, improving our services, ensuring health and safety for staff and customers, preventing fraud, and responding to customer enquiries. We balance these interests against your rights and freedoms.

Consent. In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for specific types of optional communication or where no other lawful basis applies. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes, as relevant to your relationship with us:

To provide and manage rubbish collection and related services, including handling bookings, arranging collection times, and delivering services to your premises.

To communicate with you, including responding to your enquiries, sending service confirmations and updates, and handling complaints or feedback.

To manage billing and payments, including issuing invoices, processing payments through approved processors, and maintaining financial records as required by law.

To operate, maintain, and improve our services and internal processes, including staff training, service planning, and ensuring service quality.

To ensure safety and compliance, including adherence to waste management regulations, health and safety requirements, and to prevent misuse of our services.

To protect our legal rights, including managing disputes, enforcing contractual terms, and cooperating with lawful requests from public authorities where necessary.

Data Sharing and Use of Processors

We may share your personal data with selected third parties where necessary to provide our services or meet our legal obligations. These third parties act either as data processors on our behalf or as independent data controllers:

Service providers and contractors, such as waste transfer stations, recycling partners, sub contracted collection teams, and specialist disposal partners, where this is needed to complete your collection and manage waste responsibly.

IT and communications providers, such as email hosting, customer management systems, scheduling tools, and secure data storage services that support our business operations.

Payment processors and financial institutions who handle card or electronic payments and assist with accounting, subject to strict data protection and security obligations.

Professional advisers and insurers, such as accountants, legal advisers, and insurance providers, where necessary for business administration, legal compliance, or dispute resolution.

Public authorities and regulators, where we are required to disclose data to comply with law, legal proceedings, or regulatory requirements.

When we use third party processors, we ensure they only process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and take appropriate security measures. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

Data Retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to meet any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Service and contract records, such as booking details, customer information, and invoices, are generally retained for a minimum period required by tax and accounting laws. After this period, data is securely deleted or anonymised unless there is a legitimate reason to retain it longer, such as an ongoing dispute.

Enquiry and communication records are kept for a reasonable period to respond to your request, manage our relationship, and demonstrate how we handled your enquiry. They may then be archived or deleted in line with our retention schedule.

Where we rely on your consent for a specific type of processing, we will delete or anonymise the related data when you withdraw consent, unless another lawful basis requires us to retain 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 controlled access to systems, secure storage of records, staff training on data protection, and regular review of our security practices.

While we take reasonable steps to safeguard your data, no system can be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to responding promptly to any suspected data breach and, where required by law, informing you and the relevant authorities.

Your Data Protection Rights

As a customer in the Swiss Cottage area, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data under applicable data protection laws. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access your personal data and obtain a copy of the information we hold about you.

Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you have withdrawn consent and no other lawful basis applies.

Object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, if you believe your rights and interests outweigh our reasons for processing.

Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances, for example while we are verifying the accuracy of data or considering an objection.

Request the transfer of certain personal data to you or another controller, where technically feasible and where the legal conditions are met.

Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent to process your data, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you are dissatisfied with how we handle your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve 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 data protection practices. Any updates will apply from the date they are published. You should review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.