IT Contractor - Commercial Waste Disposal

[ProgMgr]

Hello - interested to see if anyone has encountered this.

Wandsworth Council have had a rummage through the bin bags left outside our flat and found one of my company bank statements.

They're saying that this is commercial waste (which I would tend to agree with) and now hitting me with a £210 fine for not having a commercial waste disposal contract.

I receive two bank statements a month - never more than 2 pieces of a4 in each envelope - and this is the extent of my commercial waste. It seems ridiculous that I'm being hit for a £200 - £300 fine for 48 pieces of paper and 24 envelopes a year!

Anyone encountered similar?

Cheers

[northernladuk]

Move to paperless banking?

Have you explained this to them?

Why aren't you destroying stuff like that so no one can read it?

[stek]

What was it doing in the bin, you are supposed to keep company records for like six years or something....

[b0redom]

Why are you throwing them out? You're supposed to keep stuff like that for 7 years. I would then dispose of it securely (shredding). It does seem a bit steep though.....

[FatLazyContractor]

Thanks for the thread. I'll make sure I won't make such mistakes in the future.

[LondonManc]

Thanks for the thread. I'll make sure I won't make such mistakes in the future.

Your shortest-lived sockie ever?

[SueEllen]

Even if it was old enough why didn't you shred it?

[VectraMan]

Even if it was old enough why didn't you shred it?

WSS. I shred everything I throw in the bin and I always wondered if I was just being paranoid. So thanks for the assurance that I'm not crazy.

At a previous place I worked I asked if they had a paper/cardboard recycling bin and was told that they didn't because the council had demanded nearly £1K p.a. to have one. This was a small office with 8 or 9 people.

[JoJoGabor]

I see you've had the usual suspects answering another question to the one you asked.

Anyway, I googled the definition of Commercial Waste and is says

Commercial waste consists of waste from premises used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a trade or business

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_waste

I'd argue your premises are not mainly used for trade.

[northernladuk]

I see you've had the usual suspects answering another question to the one you asked.

And what's wrong with that? He's got stuffed for a charge he shouldn't have had if he had kept his paperwork the required time. He's getting his answer to the source of the issue not the fall out. I'd say that's pretty good advice for free.

Anyway, I googled the definition of Commercial Waste and is says

Commercial waste consists of waste from premises used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a trade or business

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_waste

I'd argue your premises are not mainly used for trade.

His LTD is likely to be registered there and if it will be his designated permanent place of work if he's claiming travel to and from his temporary client base so I'd say you are wrong there.