Rubbish Collection Dulwich Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Rubbish Collection Dulwich collects, uses, stores and shares personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in our service area. It also describes your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our rubbish collection, waste removal or related services, or by contacting us about our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Who we are and scope of this policy

Rubbish Collection Dulwich is a rubbish and waste collection service operating in the Dulwich area and surrounding neighbourhoods. For the purposes of data protection law, Rubbish Collection Dulwich is the data controller of the personal data described in this policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Rubbish Collection Dulwich customers and individuals who enquire about or use our services in our operating area, whether you contact us by phone, email, online form, or in person.

Personal data we collect

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

Identification and contact details: name, address, phone number, email address, and details of the property where rubbish is to be collected.

Service and contract information: records of bookings, collection schedules, waste type and volume, special instructions, correspondence regarding quotes or contracts, and details of services provided.

Billing and payment information: invoicing details, payment status, amount paid, due dates, and limited payment information necessary to confirm that a payment has been made. Where card payments are processed through a third-party payment provider, we do not store full card details.

Communication data: enquiries, complaints, feedback, and any communications you send to us or that we send to you in relation to our services.

Technical and usage information: limited technical data such as the date and time you contact us via our online forms or digital channels, and records of how you interact with our website or messages where necessary for security or service improvement.

Operational data: notes for our collection teams to enable safe and efficient access to your property, such as access restrictions, contact preferences, or related operational instructions.

How we collect personal data

We collect personal data from you directly when you request a quote, make a booking, contact us about a service, set up or amend a collection, or communicate with us in any way.

We may also collect data from:

Our service partners and payment processors who help us deliver services or process payments.

Publicly available sources where necessary to confirm your address or business details.

Our own records of past services provided to you or at your address.

Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. These lawful bases include:

Performance of a contract: to provide our rubbish collection and related services, manage your bookings, process payments, respond to your requests, and fulfil our contractual obligations to you.

Legal obligations: to comply with applicable laws and regulations relating to waste management, accounting, taxation, and record keeping, and to respond to lawful requests from regulatory authorities.

Legitimate interests: to operate and improve our business, manage customer relationships, handle complaints, prevent fraud, ensure the security of our operations, and promote our services to existing or past customers where this is permitted by law. When we rely on legitimate interests, we balance our interests against your rights and freedoms.

Consent: in limited circumstances, such as where we send certain types of marketing communications or where we collect optional information that is not necessary for our services. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data to:

Provide and manage our rubbish collection and related services, including scheduling collections, completing waste removal, and communicating about timings and access.

Confirm bookings, send service updates, respond to your questions, and handle feedback or complaints.

Issue quotes, invoices, receipts, and payment reminders, and manage any related financial records.

Maintain our customer records, analyse how our services are used, and plan service improvements and capacity in the Dulwich area.

Meet our legal and regulatory obligations, including waste disposal and reporting requirements.

Protect our business, staff and customers through fraud prevention, security measures, and dispute resolution.

Inform you of changes to our services, terms or policies, and, where permitted, send you information about services that may be relevant to you as an existing or past customer.

Sharing your personal data and processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. These parties act either as data processors on our behalf or as separate controllers.

Typical data processors and recipients may include:

Payment service providers who process customer payments securely on our behalf.

IT and hosting providers who store and maintain our customer databases, email systems and business software.

Customer support, communication and booking platforms that help us manage enquiries and scheduling.

Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary to manage our business and comply with legal obligations.

Regulators, law enforcement agencies or public authorities where we are required to do so by law, or to protect our rights, property or safety, or that of our staff or customers.

Whenever we use data processors, we ensure there is a written contract in place that requires them to protect your personal data and only process it according to our instructions and applicable law.

International transfers

Where any of our service providers or data processors are located outside the United Kingdom, we take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data is afforded an equivalent level of protection. This may include reliance on adequacy regulations or the use of standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities. Details of these safeguards can be provided on request.

Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, and to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general:

Customer contact and service records are kept for the duration of our relationship with you and for a period afterwards to handle queries, disputes or potential legal claims.

Invoices, payment records and related financial information are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.

Marketing preferences are retained until you opt out or we no longer need to retain this information.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be used to identify you.

Your data protection rights

As a data subject under UK data protection law, you have certain rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you. These include:

Right of access: to obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of that data, along with certain information about how it is used.

Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.

Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, to request that we delete your personal data, 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: to ask us to restrict the processing of your data in specific situations, such as while we verify its accuracy or assess an objection you have raised.

Right to object: to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including certain types of direct marketing. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests or rights, or where processing is needed for legal claims.

Right to data portability: in certain situations, to receive personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and to request that we transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed.

Security of your data

We employ appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. These measures include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and regular review of our security practices. While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

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. Any changes will be effective when we publish the updated version. We recommend that you review this Policy periodically.

Contacting us about privacy

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, you can contact Rubbish Collection Dulwich using the contact details provided on our main customer communications. We will respond to your request as soon as reasonably possible and in accordance with applicable data protection law.