Rubbish Collection Highbury Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Rubbish Collection Highbury collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal data belonging to its customers in the Highbury area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Rubbish Collection Highbury customers in the service area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who arrange or receive our rubbish collection, waste removal or related services.

Who we are and how to contact us

Rubbish Collection Highbury is a waste and rubbish collection service operating in the Highbury area. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller in relation to the personal data described in this policy.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the details provided on your service documentation or invoice, or by using our usual customer service channels.

Personal data we collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you use our services. The personal data we may collect includes:

Identification and contact details: name, title, postal address, property type, email address, telephone number and any alternative contact details you provide.

Service and contract information: details of the services you request or receive from us, including service frequency, collection dates, special access instructions, property access notes, and records of any changes you request to your service.

Billing and payment details: billing address, details of payments made to us, payment method information such as partial card details or direct debit references, and records of invoices, receipts and payment status. We do not store full payment card numbers or security codes when payments are processed by third party payment providers.

Communication records: emails, telephone call notes, messages, and any other correspondence between you and Rubbish Collection Highbury, including complaints, enquiries, feedback and support requests.

Technical and usage information: when you interact with our website or online tools, we may collect limited technical data such as your IP address, browser type, pages viewed, and time and date of visits. This is used for security, maintenance and improvement of our services.

Operational information: photographs or notes relating to waste collections where necessary for evidence of service delivery, health and safety, or dispute resolution, provided such information can identify you or your property.

How we collect personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us to request a quotation, make a booking, enter into a contract for services, pay an invoice, or communicate with us in any other way.

We may also receive personal data from third parties who act on your behalf, such as letting agents, landlords, building managers or business representatives who arrange waste collection services for you or your property.

In limited cases, we may collect personal data from publicly available sources where this is necessary to contact you about an account or unpaid charges associated with a specific address or service arrangement.

Lawful bases for processing your personal data

We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. The main lawful bases we rely upon are:

Performance of a contract: we process your personal data to provide our rubbish collection and related services, to set up and manage your account, to schedule collections, to invoice and take payments, and to respond to service requests. Without this data we may not be able to provide our services.

Legitimate interests: we process personal data for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes managing and improving our services, handling enquiries and complaints, recovering debts, ensuring site safety for our staff, and maintaining accurate records.

Legal obligation: we may process your personal data to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as accounting and tax laws, waste management regulations and health and safety requirements.

Consent: in situations where we rely on your consent, for example for certain types of direct marketing communications, you can withdraw that consent at any time using the contact details set out in this policy. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing before consent was withdrawn.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage our rubbish collection, waste removal and related services in the Highbury area, including setting up new services, planning routes and schedules, and responding to service changes.

To create and maintain customer records, manage contracts, and communicate with you about your bookings, appointments, service changes or disruptions.

To issue invoices, process payments, manage billing queries and handle debt recovery where applicable.

To respond to your enquiries, feedback and complaints, and to resolve disputes about service delivery or charges.

To maintain the safety and security of our staff, customers and property, including managing access information and any relevant health and safety notes.

To meet our legal and regulatory obligations, including record keeping and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

To improve our services and operations, including monitoring demand, managing capacity, and reviewing service quality.

Data sharing and data processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who act as our data processors, strictly for the purposes described in this policy and under written contracts that require them to protect your data. These may include:

Payment processors and banks who handle payments, refunds and direct debits on our behalf.

IT service providers who support our customer databases, scheduling systems, email and communication platforms, and website hosting.

Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary for our business operations or to manage legal claims.

Debt recovery agencies or legal representatives where reasonably necessary to collect overdue payments.

Waste disposal partners and subcontractors who assist in fulfilling our waste collection and disposal obligations, where this requires limited data such as service addresses or access instructions.

Public authorities, regulators, law enforcement bodies or courts when we are required to do so by law, regulation or court order.

International transfers

Where any of our service providers or IT systems are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in accordance with data protection law. This may include the use of standard contractual clauses or other recognised transfer mechanisms.

Data retention: how long we keep your data

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we retain customer records, billing details and service history for up to six years after the end of your relationship with us, in line with tax and contractual limitation periods. Operational data such as routine service notes may be kept for a shorter period where appropriate.

We may retain some information for longer if it is relevant to an ongoing dispute, legal claim or regulatory investigation. When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions:

Right of access: you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with information about how and why we process it.

Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to erasure: in certain circumstances you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the original purpose and we have no legal reason to keep it.

Right to restriction: you can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, for example while we check its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.

Right to data portability: in some cases you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine readable format and transfer it to another controller, where technically feasible.

Right to object: you can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including for direct marketing. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, or the processing is required for legal claims.

Rights related to consent: where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw consent.

How to exercise your rights or make a complaint

If you would like to exercise any of your data protection rights, or if you have questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us using our usual customer service contact details shown on your service documentation or invoices.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority if you are unhappy with how we have used your data. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concerns directly.

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 handle personal data. The most recent version will always apply to the personal data we hold. We recommend that you review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

By continuing to use Rubbish Collection Highbury services in the Highbury area after any changes to this Privacy Policy, you acknowledge that you have been informed of the updated terms.