The following are the answers to some of the more commonly asked questions about the WTN, what it means, and the implications for your business, especially the subject of storage media and any data they may contain:
- Safe Recycling uses the form of Waste Transfer Note that is available from the gov.uk website, so you know that you have an accepted and approved format for your business records.
- The completed WTN is a record that your business has engaged an authorized Waste Carrier who should process the waste described in the correct manner.
- The WTN should be kept for a minimum of 2 years from the date of collection, so as to be available for inspection on request by an authorized body (Council, Environment Agency, etc.)
- A signed copy of the WTN is proof that you have disposed of your WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) correctly, and to whom. It also indicates that the ownership of the waste has passed to the collector, in other words Safe Recycling, allowing us to dispose of it in an appropriate manner. We also insist on two copies of the WTN being signed at the time of collection so both parties have a copy for their records.
- The Waste Transfer Note has a tick-box in ‘Section B’ to indicate that ‘I have fulfilled my duty to apply the waste hierarchy as required by Regulation 12 of the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011’. This is a legal requirement indicating that the waste has been processed so as to minimize the effect on the environment. This means we have a duty to: a) prevent the equipment becoming waste in the first place, b) if we cannot prevent it becoming waste then it should be prepared for re-use, and only then, c) should it be recycled or otherwise disposed of.
- With specific regard to the treatment of data storage devices, Safe Recycling will follow the above statement to meet its legal obligations; in other words we will mitigate damage to the environment by re-using in preference to destruction or recycling.
If you have any questions relating to the subject of Waste Transfer Notes, feel free to contact Safe Recycling on 01285-810111