Waste & recycling for landlords

Navigation

Any landlord renting out a property will want it looked after, and that includes ensuring all tenants know how to properly dispose of their waste whilst in occupancy of the property.

Landlords should be aware that once the property becomes vacant, any waste or unwanted items left from the previous occupancy is no longer considered as household waste and becomes commercial waste, which is waste generated as a result of a business and it is the duty of the landlord to ensure its safe and correct removal.

Your responsibility as a landlord

As a landlord, it is your responsibility:

  • to ensure your tenants are disposing of their waste correctly and safely. The waste and recycling services in the borough are easy to use, and landlords should ensure that all tenants are responsibly disposing of their waste, which includes recycling.
  • to use a private waste collection contractor should your tenants exceed their 180ltr household waste and 240ltr recycling bin service allocation.
  • to ensure that when using the services of a waste carrier, the contractor has a Waste Carriers Licence and that a Duty of Care waste transfer note is provided showing the description and disposal route of the waste.
  • to ensure any waste or unwanted bulky items (i.e. mattresses, furniture etc.) left at the property are removed appropriately and legally from the premises. Leaving waste in the garden or yard could result in a £2,500 fine or illegally depositing waste on the street could also result in a £50,000 fine and up to 5 years imprisonment.

If your waste is discovered to have been disposed of illegally, even by your carrier, you could face prosecution by the Environment Agency.

Our responsibility as a local authority

It is the responsibility of the council to provide each occupied property with:

  • 1 x 180ltr black refuse bin and;
  • 1 x 240ltr red recycling bin.

Disposing of waste left by tenants

At this point the landlord is acting as a trader and is therefore responsible for the removal of this waste.

A skip, direct delivery to a private disposal point or professional removal services would be required in this case. The Waste Transfer Station at Chalvey is available for trade waste at a charge. As household waste recycling centres are licensed for household waste only, this avenue of disposal is not available to a landlord.

Find your nearest registered waste carrier or you can take your own rubbish to your nearest licensed disposal site.

Could your tenants recycle more?

There are lots of benefits to recycling...by encouraging your tenants to reduce, reuse and recycle you can save money and help the environment.

There are several recycling facilities available to tenants:

Tenants may use the bulky waste collection service to dispose of large items.

Report a problem

Letting agencies and landlords can help us by reporting their tenants who dispose of waste illegally. Please email the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team giving as much detail as possible.

Navigation